Dystopia Unleashed
by WhoIsThisDamnAuthor
Summary: "When the confines of the true dystopia shall encumber you, only then will you understand the hellishness of what you have unleashed." Goku falling into the Naruto-verse after leaving with Shenron at the end of DBZ/DBGT. Told from multiple POVs, and GokuXMikoto in later chapters, yet to come.
1. Prologue

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**A DBZ-Naruto Crossover**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Edited Ver : 24-6-2016**

**A big what-is-up to the good folk reading this story.**

**This tale is nearing its second anniversary, and I've somehow managed to jot down 87_(and a half)_ thousand words.**

**While that is a very off-putting thing for most people, I urge you to read it.**

**I assure you, even after this long, I haven't given up on this.**

**Chapter 16 will be up as soon as I jot down enough to publish it. When that will happen, I seriously do not know.**

_***Ahem***_

**On with the story, then...**

* * *

**Prologue : Awakening**

* * *

He awoke.

With a panic borne out of sheer confusion and mental turmoil, he tried to remember what to do.

_Breathe... _he discerned from amidst the howling in his subconscious. An instruction of vital importance.

He obeyed. Keeping his eyes firmly closed, he drew a long, shuddering breath. It was his first in what seemed like an eternity.

Some would argue, though, that it had actually been an eternity.

He inhaled again, concentrating; trying to get his other senses to focus.

After a long, long time, his straining ears felt a sound. A gentle, soothing rustle. _Water, perhaps.._. Probably a brook somewhere, skipping from one moss-covered stone to another - the blissful noise of clear water effortlessly following gravity's grasp all the way to some larger water body, where it would then shed all of its contents in an attempt to fill it.

_Try to fill it, and fail. Just like me._

He probably needed something of the same sort to fill the empty holes left in his consciousness.

Focusing on the sound, he tried to use the consistent background noise to calm his raving mind. For some horrible reason, it wasn't working. He continued thinking random thoughts, leaving no room for the kind of mental stability he usually enjoyed.

Among all the turmoil, he forced himself into a sitting position. Feeling about with his shaking, hesitant fingers, he was pleasantly surprised. He was sitting on some undergrowth, which meant a forest towered above him. He kept his eyes closed. He did not need any more input from that sense at this point. It was way too much to handle, but his overworked mind was now starting to cope.

The raging torrent of thoughts started to ebb. His mind started becoming his again, not _his.__  
_

He chose to avoid using the little space left in his brain for rational thought to think of _him._ Instead, he reflected on his distant, almost foggy past. He remembered his family. He remembered the fateful day, the one thing still crystal clear in his mind.

He remembered his ecstasy on that day, the feeling of pride. He conjugated all of the foggy remains into a whole, and reflected on it. He made a mental note. For all future purposes, this was going to be his new self. His _sense_ of self, rather, which he'd given up on that horrible day. He finally exhaled, releasing all his inner tensions, in a final desperate attempt to calm his mental raving.

He stiffened his faltering resolve. He had to do this.

He had to face this completely alien universe, with no loved ones providing any incentive to continue on. No loved ones at all.

He was alone. Truly alone.

* * *

_Just a little longer..._

The urge to open his eyes was getting stronger, but he was still completely petrified. He'd never experienced this sort of fear before. He inhaled again, clearing his mind just a little more with every strained breath. The torrent had calmed further, and all of his foreshadowed thoughts were rising to the surface.

Generally, he'd have sought solace in the one thing he was sure that would never leave him. He'd gone deep into his mind, and delved into the embrace of pure energy, the comfort of raw power. He would savour it, finding his calm again in the heightened senses that the energy gave him. It had been an addiction with far-reaching consequences, leading to decisions he had now come to regret.

This time, there was none left. Not even the tiniest drop remained of his previously near-infinite supply. He'd foregone it as part of the deal with _him. _He was totally alone, in a completely alien universe, with no energy. He was definitely at the worst part of his life.

_Life... _Even in his near-suicidal state, he chuckled to himself.

_What was 'life'? What was the concept of this 'life', the line that divided any experience from being part of a 'life', and just being a natural phenomenon?_

He had no idea any more.

Even as these thoughts swirled chaotically in the jumbled mess he now referred to as his new 'mind', an important question was silently rising to the surface of his consciousness. It came up like a bubble through a highly viscous fluid, very slowly.

And, as suddenly as it had appeared, it broke the surface.

He opened his eyes.

_Where am I?_

* * *

**So yeah.**

**The dude's Goku.**

**Imagine his eloping with Shenron, like the ending to a typical Hollywood chick flick, didn't really go that well.**

**Imagine, for just a moment, that the immortality he gained by fusing with the Dragon's body eventually corrupted his soul.**

**So much that he began to beg the Eternal Douche to let him go, to allow him to become the separate, imperfect, mortal entity he was before the totally-gay-thing they did.**

**But, the aforementioned Eternal Douche, being a massive dickbag, says _'Hell no.'_**

**Our slightly retarded Saiyan friend begs. Pleads for his soul to be delivered from the constant torment.**

**Douche agrees, but on one condition. To take away all his Ki.**

**Not forever, but just all of it. And then, being the sadist that he is, dumps Son-_kun _into the Naruto-verse, mindfucked and powerless.**

_**Backstory, check.**_

_**Prologue, check.**_

**On with Dystopia Unleashed in earnest in the next chapter.**


	2. Recognition

**Dystopia Unleashed**

By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor

* * *

**Edited Ver. : 3-3-2016**

**I've re-read my work from top to bottom a few times now, and it had become evident to me that I've glossed over a few grammatical mistakes in my earlier chapters.**

**For that, I apologize, and most of the ones I've noticed have been edited out in this update.**

**Writing Chapter 13 as I publish the older chapters.**

**Read, and do tell me what you think.**

* * *

_**Chapter 1 : Recognition**_

* * *

_Where am I?_

Son Goku looked around, and saw exactly what he was expecting. A blurred mess.

He blinked a few times, and shook his head, trying to get his eyesight to clear. That helped a little, and things were now coming into focus. He could now discern a small palette of colors, but it still seemed like a confusing heap of green all piled into his field of vision.

_Grass, or leaves maybe... _he reasoned.

He waited awhile. Just staring into infinity, trying to gather as much light as possible. It felt like he was a blind man having just regained use of that vital sense. And gradually, things resolved themselves. He began to notice shapes and outlines, and familiar objects began coming into view.

He _was _in a forest, as he'd guessed. Quite the large one, at that. The trees seemed to stretch out till the horizon, or whatever part of it was still visible through them. The chirping of the multitude of birds in the vicinity seemed heavenly in comparison to the ordeal he had just experienced.

The new flood of sensory information sent in by Goku's eyes had done the trick. It had washed away the last straggling shreds of insanity from his mind. His thoughts were clear now, _finally._

He stared out into the wilderness for a long while. Naturally, after a certain amount of time had passed, he began to wander. A little curiosity seeped in, stirring his deadened brain into action. He looked down onto himself. What he saw surprised his laconic mind, pleasantly so.

_I'm still a kid?_

Amazing as it may be, Son Goku had not changed at all since that day. Not one bit. _He_ had reconstructed his perfect form, tail and all, with the perfect size and proportions of a thirteen-year old boy. He was even wearing the same blue gi and ochre trousers.

_Probably a parting gift from that bitch of a dragon..._

Very gently, almost gingerly, he tried to move a finger. It lifted exactly as much as he thought it would. Apparently, he still remembered basic motor functions then. He slowly recalled the various nerve impulses required for standing. Moving the feet here, contracting the quadriceps here, slowly transferring weight to his legs, and... _there._

This were all new experiences to him, as if he were a baby. If one hadn't had a physical body for so long, there was no way one could remember this standing up; even remembering to breathe should have been a challenge. But Son Goku stood up. Managing his knee joints, he tried to take a step forward. _Fold at the hips, extend the knee, place foot on the ground, repeat with other foot..._

He laughed silently at the mental picture of him waddling like a robot. _Learning how to walk..._

_Oh, that brings back so much... _Goku remembered an experience from a past long since forgotten. He remembered that fine autumn evening, when he'd seen his son walk for the first time. Oh, the pride he'd felt, the pure joy of seeing a creation of his control its own actions... He'd decided that day, that no matter what Chi-Chi said, Gohan was going to become a fighter like his dad.

Taking another awkward step forward, Goku exited his reverie, focusing all his efforts into re-learning how to freaking walk.

_Oh, the irony... _The world's greatest fighter, the recurring savior of the universe had to learn basic locomotion all over again. How he missed the sensation of flying; his _Ki_ surging through his body as he lifted off, feeling the wind rush through his spiky hair...

_Forget it! _He reminded himself that all of it was gone now. Every single technique, every single martial art, every awesome power punch he'd ever landed, those were his last. He gave up trying to walk; he was about to sit down and contemplate suicide options, when he felt it. He sensed _Ki_. Somewhere, far away, probably in the forest, he sensed a minuscule speck of what was _definitely_ _Ki_.

_Holy crap! Does this mean, that even my Ki will...will...regenerate like it did before?_

Relief crashed through Goku's beleaguered mind, calming his body, soothing his mind, re-lubricating his mental passageways. Perhaps there was hope for him after all. Out of sheer excitement, he rose to his feet and did a cartwheel, completely forgetting the fact that he had been struggling to walk just a freaking minute ago.

Then, as suddenly as the euphoria had come, it receded. Once again, waves of depression threatened his sanity, as he reasoned it out. There was no way his _Ki_ was regenerating, not after _that _incident. Also adding in the fact that he was still alone, and that this universe was completely foreign, he nearly curled up into a foetal ball and cried.

_Nearly_. For as he was lying onto the soft grass, ready to weep till he died, depressed, bereft of loved ones, he felt it. It was the minutest of feelings, almost non-existent. A tiny pinprick in the back of his mind. A tiny pinprick of Ki.

All the ecstasy came flooding out again, and Son Goku finally began to feel like himself again.

_What does this extreme moodiness say about my psyche, I wonder..._

Jumping up, he closed his eyes and concentrated. _There it was._ It was definitely there. It was like an atom in the emptiness the size of an entire galaxy, but Goku knew it would fill up, as long as he gave it enough time. He wouldn't be able to perform even the least powerful of his moves with it for another few years, but after that, the exponential growth really would kick in. He reasoned he was going to reach full fighting strength in approximately fifteen to sixteen years from then.

_A decade and a half... Not too bad, not bad at all. Probably a mere blink of an eye, for all I've seen..._

Reassured by these revelations, he now searched for the other trickle of _Ki_. Honing his senses, he concentrated, trying to locate a definite direction. His own energy level was way too weak to figure out the distance to the target, but he could vaguely tell that it was roughly east of him. He took a confident step forward, and another, and broke into a run. A full sprint, using as much muscle strength as was consciously possible. A strong tail wind started blowing in the meantime, flooding his _gi _with a burst of air. It felt like the universe wanted him to start all over.

_My adventure begins, again..._

After an hour of crawling, hacking, pushing, jumping and running, he reached his destination. He saw god rays filter in through the canopy above, signifying that there was a clearing above that let light in. The Ki source lay just ahead, through _that _bush. He rushed into the bush, and was about to make a dramatic entry, when his reason found him. _What if this guy's hostile? I have no strength to face anyone right now. Sure, I'm walking again and all, but I'm definitely very weak._

Goku peered out through the thicket. The source was very close now, and Goku knew that any movement would be detected. He held his breath, and tried to get a closer look at…

"RASENGAN!"

The tree right next to him exploded. Sheer instinct drove him out of the bush and into the clearing, and he immediately assumed the fighting stance learned from Master Roshi all those years ago. He involuntarily let out a bloodcurdling yell, as anyone in his situation would have _(Probably not)_. As soon as he heard what his scream sounded like, he regretted ever emitting it.

Thirteen year old boys' vocal chords aren't suited to scream like a man. The resulting nails-on-blackboard screech was responsible for the eventual halving of the bird population in the forest of Konoha.

(_Konoha shinobi still swear that the white-tailed coathanger bird is still there in the forest, but I highly doubt it)_

Goku stopped his scream abruptly, choosing to gape at the man in front of him. At first, he only noticed the bottle-green flak jacket and the sharp weapons around the torso. As his eyes travelled up towards the face, he lingered for a while, taking in the depth of the startling blue eyes that stared right into him. His gaze travelled further upwards.

And saw the headband with the weird forehead plate on it. _Some leaf-like emblem, no doubt…_

Finally, they reached their final object of scrutiny. And stopped dead. Goku's blood ran cold. He observed spiky, golden yellow hair. _Golden freaking yellow. _Memories flashed through Son Goku's head. Memories of fights long finished, villains long terminated, and he remembered the method of termination.

The recollection was a bit too much to handle silently. The old-yet-young Saiyan let slip a rare expletive.

_"Fuck."_

* * *

"_Rasengan!_"

Namikaze Minato watched the ball of _chakra_ as it scoured the tree. At first, it decimated the outer bark; emulating a rapid sequence of rotating blades sawing at the wood. But as the randomly spinning inner sphere hit the tree a second later, the tree seemed to melt and reshape itself to accommodate the intrusion, similar to a ball being pushed into liquid butter.

The factor responsible for this was the subtle, random cutting motion of each _chakra_ particle. When viewed with the naked eye, they were too random to be seen separately, and they just sort of melded into a visual image that resembled something melting and reshaping itself. This was what gave the _Rasengan_ its crazy destructive power.

Minato watched as the sphere effortlessly passed through the first tree, reducing to half its original size in the process. Power did have its limits after all. It flew on to another tree right ahead, but the bulk of its energy had already been spent. It fizzled away with a mild explosion that scarred the trunk with a characteristic spiral shape.

Minato smiled. Now _that_ was definitely an improvement. His first successful _Rasengan_ had barely managed to go through half of one tree before fading out to nothing. Also, he noted, he had enough _chakra_ left over for another one. This was the first time that he had the chance to do two in a day. He thought for a while, reflecting on the pros and cons of trying a second time in one day.

_Cons. Oh so many cons._

There was the fact that all his _chakra_ would be spent, leaving him nearly defenseless, armed with only _Taijutsu_. Hand-to-hand combat wasn't going to be enough to beat the _Kumogakure, Iwagakure _and _Sunagakure _shinobi in the case of an enemy attack. These were getting far too common these days. The post-war tension between the Great Countries meant that patrolling teams of _Chuunins _could be encountered anywhere.

He noticed a rustling in the bushes to his right. _Found you, _Minato thought.

_Found you, Jiraiya-sensei…_

For the eighteen-year old _Jonin_ knew that Jiraiya-_sensei_ hid and watched his pupil's practice. Jiraiya knew that Minato knew, and Minato knew that Jiraiya knew that he knew. It kinda defeated the purpose of hiding in the first place, but both ignored it and pretended that they knew nothing. It was just one of their little routines. Jiraiya's presence cleared the dilemma. Even if he used up all his chakra, the perverted sage would be there if anybody attacked.

He readied himself for _Rasengan_ #2. He took a large breath and gathered his _chakra_. He held his forearm parallel to the ground, and kept his palm facing upward. He curled his fingers ever so slightly, as if he were holding a large imaginary sphere. Focusing, he began to release _chakra_ from his palm into the space above it.

Using sheer willpower, he forced every particle of _chakra_ to rotate in a random direction. As the spinning particles began rotating over his palm, Minato brought them all together, as tightly as he could. The space above his palm started glowing, and a tiny blue ball formed at the centre of the ambient light.

He concentrated further, and pumped even more _chakra_ into the hand. Gradually, the ball grew in size. His palm started shaking, and the veins in his wrist pulsed due to sheer effort. He fought it and held on till the ball grew too large to control.

In an instant, he decided to give his _sensei_ a shock. Using the rest of his fingers to maintain the _chakra,_ he drew his index finger in and punctured the smooth surface of the _Rasengan_. This caused it to burst like a filled balloon, _chakra_ explosively escaping in all directions. Before this happened, he shoved his palm into a tree next to the bush Jiraiya was hiding in.

"_RASENGAN!_"

BOOM! The tree disintegrated. Minato jumped back, expecting his perverted mentor to jump out, white hair singed by the _Rasengan's_ explosion. The person who screamed like a girl and ran out was _definitely _not Jiraiya.

_Who is this weirdo?_

* * *

The newcomer had a dementedly spiked hairstyle, the sort worn by those upstart _Panku Rocku _bands that were starting to gain popularity. It looked as if he'd received a large shock due to the sudden explosion of _Rasengan_. Or was there a slight lightning element to it? _Worth experimenting over… _Minato mused.

_Wait, one problem at a time, _he remembered that he was facing a total stranger. He observed the boy in detail. His hair wasn't the only crazy part. He was wearing a light blue training _gi_, the type that samurais wore while in the Iron country. Adding to the contrast were a pair of ochre yellow trousers, a white belt and black shoes.

_What weird fetishes do kids have these days? Sheesh…_

Minato noticed the bulging neck and torso muscles. The boy was in a _Taijutsu_ pose, ready to fight. The expression on the boy's face gave away experience, and the gravity in the deep black eyes told Minato that this was no ordinary kid. He had the expressions, stance and silent grace of a master assassin, but he carried no weapons.

_I must be careful. _Thought Minato. _He probably got exposed due to my Rasengan. Anyway, I need to confirm whether he's hostile._

Minato too, dropped into a basic _Taijutsu _pose. If the boy was unarmed, it was only fair that Minato followed suit. Also, he could sense no _chakra_ emanating from the boy, none whatsoever. _Probably like that new rookie I've been hearing about, some guy called Maito 'Guy', back home. But a Taijutsu assassin? Highly unlikely._

"What do you want?" Minato finally broke the silence.

The boy's face showed genuine surprise, and his eyes took on a distant look. Clearly, a simple question such as this one didn't need a normal person to think this much. "Nothing," he replied, returning to reality. Suddenly, he noticed Minato's fighting pose, and his face broke into a smile. "Actually, I wouldn't mind a little sparring match!"

The _Jonin's_ mind whirred, trying to comprehend the perfectly mixed signals the boy was giving out. His voice was reassuring, innocent and honest, but his words and fighting stance completely opposed it. Minato shook his head in an attempt to dispel whatever was confusing the hell out of him. _This must be some new genjutsu I've never seen before… _The moment was nigh. Minato had to choose to either respond to the challenge in his words and stance, or decline it and place faith in his peaceful voice.

_Fine. If it's a sparring match he wants, that's what he'll get. (Apologies for the cliché)_

Minato charged.

* * *

**Given my propensity to rant at the end of every chapter, I shall, in compliance to that, _rant_.**

**Goku training under Nam' Min. I felt that the start to this convoluted, long-as-fuck tale should, in fact, be here.**

**Look. I'm honestly going to take this all the way. 200k, maybe even 250k.**

**My abysmal writing speed aside, do you think it should span that much time?**

**I have an extremely kick-ass scene planned for the Uchiha Madara arc.**

**Do tell me what you think.**

**Peace out.**


	3. Revival

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Edited Ver. 3-4-2016**

**Again, the same shebang. Grammar, plot inconsistencies, blah, blah.**

**Also, I shall undertake the arduous task of putting in a disclaimer at the beginning of every chapter.**

**I have nothing else to say.**

**Shut up and read the goddamn story.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON BALL Z OR NARUTO.**

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Revival**_

* * *

Goku's consternation lasted for a second, before his reflexes took over. He dropped his centre of gravity by taking his weight on his thigh muscles, observing his opponent carefully. The yellow dude's charge had quite the swaying, tilting motion, similar to a leaf gently falling on a lazy autumn afternoon. Goku just waited patiently; counter-attacking was always his preferred strategy.

_There!_ There was a sudden shift in the most recent step. His opponent was going to test him, it seemed. Goku observed his left knee bend, bearing the weight of his entire body, as he used centripetal force to swing his foot around to deliver the deadly roundhouse kick. _Pretty standard attack pattern from there..._

_That roundhouse will be followed by a quick drop to his haunches, then a rising jaw punch. I would be unconscious before I even landed on the ground. He would then carry or drag me to whatever warlord he serves._

_So not happening._

As his opponent's weight shifted onto his left leg, Goku raised his palm, aiming at the knee. A _Ki_ shot to the fulcrum of the move would leave him wide open, and Goku would not miss that chance for the world. He poised himself. Timing was everything.

_There. One, two... Wait a minute..._

_SHIT!_

Goku gave himself a bitch slap inside his mind as he dropped to his knees to dodge the kick. _Only martial arts from now on for a few years, idiot!_

_Still, better I remembered late than never, I guess._

Goku looked upwards at the leg passing through the space where his head should have been. He found another opening, and pounced on it immediately. Rising up, he caught his opponent's ankle with both hands, immobilizing him. Now, he was at Goku's mercy.

_Apparently not._

The yellow-haired man was expecting this. He kicked off his lower bent knee, and rose up in a vertical circle. As soon as he reached the top of his circular trajectory, he steepled his fingers and bent his back. This would cause him to spin faster, and the fingers held in front of him would crash into a vertebra, decimating it. Quite the athletic move, that.

_Who said you could do that? _Goku savagely pulled forward with both arms, pulling his opponent forward in the same arc, in an attempt to play Whac-a-mole with a yellow-haired hammer.

Sadly, his opponent was prepared for that as well. Using his shoulders and triceps, he absorbed the force of impact, as if doing a push-up in fast forward. Then, using his leg muscles, he bent his knees, throwing Goku into the air. This left Goku in a rather dismal situation. The Saiyan was left with no leverage, no maneuverability, and most importantly, no _Ki_.

_This won't end well, _thought Goku, and smiled.

_Just perfect._

* * *

After throwing the boy into the air, Minato rolled forward, and sprung out of the roll into a flat-out sprint. It was an evasive move he'd used countless times. This time, though, its purpose was not evasive, far from it. It was timing. Ignoring the pain in his ankle, he jumped right onto the trunk of a tree. Using the minuscule _chakra_ he had regained over the last minute and a half, he pushed off the tree, backwards and up.

He flew in a graceful projectile arc, gathering his legs in, pulling them right to his chest using his arms. He was like a coiled spring, ready to release its energy in one explosive moment. He flew on, holding his attack in check until he reached the airspace above his still-rising enemy.

At that precise moment, Minato released. The kick was timed to perfection. It delivered all its momentum into the small of the boy's back. The rest of his body bent upward as it struggled to react to the attack in so short a time. Then came the inevitable fall and the loud crash, as his opponent created a body-shaped crater in the ground.

Minato spun in the air, and landed a few inches from the body of his fallen opponent. He couldn't help but admire the boy's speed, intuition and ferocity. Although fairly easy, the counter to _that _roundhouse kick wasn't taught until late in Chuunin exam prep. God only knew why the curriculum was so screwed up.

This boy looked barely old enough to become a _Genin, _and yet, Minato couldn't place an age to match him. The wisdom in his eyes and his skill were obvious contradictions to his child-like proportions._ He is definitely older than he looks. Is that some rejuvenation technique? Some forbidden ninjutsu?_

He massaged his sore ankles. The boy's grip had left red welts on his skin. There was definitely going to be some bad bruising. He gave himself a quick physical, and bent down to examine the boy. He felt the kid's limp body stiffen under his touch, and quickly drew his hand back. _Is he planning some sort of counter? But no...He should be unconscious by now. _He took a quick glance at the kid's face, just to check.

_What the heck?_ The boy had a smile on his face. The crinkled eyebrows and firmly shut eyelids proved that he was in a lot of pain, but he was _smiling._ It wasn't the resigned smile of the defeated. It wasn't a psychotic grin, like the one he'd seen on an _Iwagakure __shinobi _who had violently pulled off a _Kamikaze _move in the middle of a raging battle. Surprisingly, it was just a smile, ever so pure and innocent. _Kami _only knew that those were becoming rarer, what with the Second Shinobi War ravaging the peace of mind of the populace of the village, and the current preparations for the Third War and all.

The smile removed any doubts Minato had. This was no ordinary kid, neither was he an assassin. He hadn't been sent here to sow discord, or pass on intel. He was just some random innocent kid who had happened to be wandering at the exact spot Minato had chosen to train that day. It was a long stretch to expect that anyone in the village would even give this shitty story a second thought before chucking him out on grounds of mental instability.

That was by far the least likely scenario, but it wasn't called _least_ likely just like that. If shit like this never happened, it would have been more appropriately named _not likely._ Just to be sure, Minato turned the boy around, and started a full body search. _Never hurts to be too careful…_

"Don't bother."

Minato's hands froze. Even after an attack of that level, he'd maintained consciousness? The boy was getting more and more impressive by the minute. "I have nothing on me, except the clothes I'm wearing," the boy continued. Something in the tone of the boy's voice made Minato _want_ to believe him. He stopped checking and looked at the boy's face.

Again, nothing but freaking sincerity. A microsecond of dilemma later, Minato sighed.

"All right. I'll stop. What's your name?"

"Son Goku," he replied. "What's yours?"

Again, the _Jonin_ hesitated. In times like this, carelessly giving away one's identity had serious consequences. Especially here, in a random forest away from home, friends and family. Minato still hadn't forgotten his mistake from just a few minutes ago. _Jiraiya-sensei, seriously? Didn't he just leave on a damn mission two days ago?_

"Well?" Goku repeated the question. Minato looked deeply into his eyes, searching for an answer to his question. He found it. Under the deep mask of resignation, wisdom and experience, Goku's curiosity still shone brightly. _Looks like he just wants to know for the sake of it. Well, then…_

"Namikaze Minato," Placing his trust in the boy, he mentally prepared himself for all kinds of betrayal scenarios, but his inner optimist kept spouting nonsense like '_It'll all end well, I'm sure,' _that made him stop overthinking the scene and talk to the kid.

"How old are you?" Minato asked.

"Th-thirteen, I suppose," Goku seemed a little confused. He'd seen it happen with abandoned children. They rarely cared enough to count birthdays.

"Where did you learn _Taijutsu?" _Minato ventured further.

The look of confusion deepened. "What's _Taijutsu_?"

Minato was surprised. That fighting stance and that counter were textbook _Taijutsu. He doesn't know his own fighting technique? _He repeated the question out loud.

"I learned my martial arts from my master, the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi…" the boy said.

The _Jonin_ had never heard of this Roshi dude before. He knew, however, that asking Goku for details wasn't going to enlighten him any further. He was from some obscure part of the continent, and had learned advanced fighting moves from some random hermit. Not details that were even remotely important right now. Minato needed to find out this guy's background. Something which would help him decide whether he was a threat or not. _He doesn't look like a threat at all, though..._

Moving on, Minato queried, "Where are you from?"

The frown of confusion turned into one of discomfort. He looked away, and reluctantly answered, "I come from far away. I was... I was dropped here," It was like he didn't want to think about it. It appeared as if the very thought of his past made his soul cringe with pain.

_He might just have suffered some extreme trauma to not want to think about it. He seemed completely open until now. _Minato made up his mind. He was taking Goku to Konohagakure. Whatever consequences he'd have to face because of that action, he would face blindly.

All for that innocence, that wisdom. _I feel this kid has an enormous potential for bringing about change. Perhaps he can use it to bring an early end to this war. It's not like I'm expecting too much, but what damage could it cause?_

He held out his hand, willing the boy to accept the faith Minato had placed in him.

* * *

Son Goku took Minato's hand without a moment's hesitation. He pulled himself to his feet. The pain from that last attack was subsiding, but Goku was grateful for the short period when it was unbearable. The feeling of helplessness, the ecstasy of having a real sensation in a long, long time was quite the addictive thing.

_Just a reminder that I now have a physical body again, after so, so long._

"Come with me. I'll take you to my village." Minato seemed to trust him.

"Okay, lead on!" Goku couldn't help the eagerness that had crept into his voice in the last few syllables. He was finally going somewhere, somewhere important. Having a sense of direction in his life after eons of aimless wandering flooded his brain with endorphins. This was translated into a sort of happy, tingling feeling, like he'd just taken the wrong glass of 'juice' during Gohan's birthday party.

As he led Goku through the forest, Minato asked him, "Since you're so good at fighting, you must have heard of _chakra, _right?"

Again, Goku was stymied. "What is _chakra_?"

His new friend stopped, surprised for what had to be the thousandth time in the day. "Here. It would be easier to just show you."

He held out his hand. He created a tiny _Ki_ ball. "This is _chakra_."

Goku caught on immediately. "So, chakra is _Ki_ energy?" _So that's what it's called in this world…_

"Is _Ki_ energy what you call _chakra _back home?"

"Yeah."

"Can you use it?" Minato had rounded back on him, clearly interested.

_I wish. _A small wave of depression washed over the Saiyan. "I could use it before, until I used all of it, um...get-getting out of where-where I was." He felt sad that he couldn't explain himself better, but he wasn't ready to think about it yet, forget telling someone else.

_It still is far too soon to be thinking about it._

Minato patted him on the shoulder, attempting what looked like a comforting gesture.

"Don't worry. It will regenerate. All chakra does. It'll just take a while."

During that short moment of contact, Minato checked the kid's _tenketsu. _They were firmly closed. Goku had never used _chakra _before. It made no sense at all. _How is he talking about something with so much familiarity when he's surely never used it? And he says he used up all of his chakra? Doesn't he know that he will die if that happens? Another point that proves his story is crap..._

"Mine won't for years…" Goku managed a weak smile. "It'll be a decade before I'm strong enough to do anything. I guess I'm stuck with martial arts for now…"

Minato stopped him. "You're decent. Really decent. I've seen your technique. You almost had me, there. How about this? I'll teach you _Taijutsu _till your _chakra_ returns, then go on to the advanced moves related to its molding and usage." _Though I'm pretty sure you've never used the stuff. It just might be that you may be referring to that strange froggy stuff Jiraiya-sensei keeps trying to teach me... Sage Mode or some Zen shit like that..._

* * *

Goku was ecstatic. He was about to ask Minato to teach him. The fact that they were in sync showed great possibilities for the future. This was almost déjà vu. Finding a complete stranger, getting hurt by the stranger, and then joining her/him on a journey together. The fact that the stranger also happened to be the master he would later meet was just the icing on the cake.

This was exactly like his first childhood, repeated.

Except for one major difference. Hence the 'almost déjà vu'. This time, he assumed he was stronger than his master. He assumed that he had allowed the yellow-haired _Jonin _to beat him. Somehow, he didn't give the feeling of strength; he lacked a certain aura of power. But then, Master Roshi hadn't either.

_I cannot make any assumptions right now, but I think I'm stronger already because I got to know you, Minato…_

"Sure! I'll learn under you!" Goku said with genuine cheer in his voice. This was exciting.

His adventure had started for real.

* * *

**Oh, what a damn story I have to tell.**

**If only I had the freaking time to put it down and publish it.**

**Crossovers for the win. I've read a lot of stuff on the site, but the crossover section blows standard fanfiction out the water with a fucking broadside.**

**Not an attempt at shameless self-advertising, honest.**

**Oh, but what do you guys care?**

**Please review, and move on to the next chapter.**

**Peace out.**


	4. Acquaintance

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Edited Ver. 5-3-2016**

_**An idea blossoms.**_

_**Slowly, but surely**_

_**It emerges as a flower.**_

**Here's a small _haiku_ I've tried to make. **

**I know, I know, the meter might not fit the standard _haiku _template, but work with me here.**

**I ain't a poet. I'm a fanfiction author.**

**This chapter onwards had been proof-read far better than the previous ones, and I expect these edits to be minor.**

**Cheers.**

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Acquaintance**_

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a man of great experience and wisdom. As Hokage, he'd witnessed most there was to see, experiences even the most sadistic of people would not enjoy. The list was endless, and each item on it was more scarring than the previous one.

Yet, what he had seen the night before beat the shit out of all of them.

As evening had descended on the village he called home, he had noticed that it had come quite early, for the season was of summer and days were long. Also, this was no sunset-like dusk. This was like a giant filter had been placed over the sun, slowly but surely reducing the contrast of light and shadow alike. It was like the heavens did not want the village to see the light of another day.

As the unnatural gloom enveloped the Hidden village in its entirety, the _sandaime _had rushed to the upper terrace of his central Headquarters, and stared up at the sky. The… the _thing _he saw nearly took away his sanity. As the entire village moved about as if nothing had been happening, he gazed into the near-black sky, heart pumping furiously with fear.

It was a ginormous green dragon, the likenesses of which were worn by street performers in summer festivals. Except this monstrosity was no object of entertainment. Every aspect of its massive being exuded a menace that had frozen his blood to ice.

Its emerald scales gave off an alien aura, making it glow in the dark like a child's toy. Its arms were small compared to its near-infinite length, but when taken by themselves, they were deadly as hell. Sharp, gleaming talons adorned its fingers, and the bulging muscles in the forearms made it look like it was ready to kill in an instant. These all together could not match the eyes, which were in a league of their own. Shining bright crimson, they were stern, rather than intimidating, but were scary as hell.

Its short mane seemed to sway in some unknown wind, and its mouth was moving. It seemed to be talking to someone, but Hiruzen could not figure out whom. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it left, spinning slowly, and vanishing into an invisible hole in between the scattered clouds.

The darkness lifted, revealing a full moon. The edges of the carved images of the three greatest men in Konoha glowed in the pale light. Hiruzen broke out of his consternation, and first gazed down at his people. Their safety was the major priority, as was typical for any decent leader, including the illustrious Hokage.

No one had even seemed to notice the abomination that had covered the now lilac sky. They went about their usual routine, completely unaware of what had happened right above their heads. Hiruzen released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. A silent figure materialized next to him, all of a sudden. The effect was like the man had been there all along. The _Hokage _blinked. It was like the bandaged man had simply come into existence next to him.

Danzou. The man had probably used his _Izanagi _to rewind and see the spectacle for himself.

"You saw it as well, huh?"

"But of course. I know you do not just come upstairs to admire the twilight when you have pressing matters to attend to. It had to be important."

Hiruzen didn't even try to pretend to be indignant about the violation of his privacy. The Root, the part of the ANBU Danzou controlled, was everywhere. It would be a thing of great shame if he didn't know.

As they both looked up into the heavens, they couldn't help but wonder.

_What was THAT all about?_

* * *

Namikaze Minato was bamboozled. Confused. Lost. Mindfucked.

This kid was impossible to figure out.

He'd used every single trick he'd known, even plagiarizing some useless shit from that retarded _Shinobi Detective _novel series (retarded it may be, but he was a great fan, especially of the extremely astute _Sherorocku-kun...)_, but he had deduced absolutely nothing important about Goku except his name. And a whole bunch of other crap._ Although, in this crazy kid's case, even Sherorocku would have had a nightmare of a time..._

"Whoa, I'm hungry!" was the first thing he'd said since their trek back to Konoha had started.

_Interesting. Let's use standard interrogation technique, figure something out._

"A new _ramen _store just opened up in my village. Ichiraku's or something, I really don't know. You like _ramen_?"

His eyes had already whipped to Minato's face at the first mention of _ramen. _Now he looked ravenous._ Interesting. I should delve more into this. Let's try the food angle to this kid's heart, and subsequently his mind._

"What else do you like? Apart from _ramen_?"

He seemed to have a list already prepared in his mind. "I love _onigiri, miso _soup, fried fish, _sukiyaki_, beef hot pot, chicken…"

"Okay, I get it. You love food?" All the dishes he mentioned were a predominant part of the cuisine of the Fire Country. He had narrowed it down. Jiraiya-_sensei _would have been proud to see his skills. Maybe he could get his first A-Rank espionage mission after this…

"Minato?" Goku was looking at him, a slightly worried expression on his face. _Crap, I must have spaced out…Concentrate, Minato...remember, focus is what makes a great detective._

"Sorry, sorry. So, which part of the Fire Country are you from?" _FUCK! _Minato swore internally. That was far too direct. _He'll definitely catch my drift now…_

The worry on Goku's face changed to confusion. "Fire Country? I've never heard of any place like that,"

_A villager then, _Minato reasoned. _Isolated enough to not know the political area he was in. It is possible, what with the forests around here…_

But the boy's eagerness to travel, and the ease with which he was navigating the terrain, heading towards the general direction Minato had set, showed that he'd been places before. Faraway places, probably hundreds of miles apart. He had the same dexterity that _Guririsu-san _had in the _Shinobi versus Wild _series, and quite the same aptitude for survival.

_Maybe he's an explorer? _Minato wondered, then shook his head. _No, no, he's way too young for that. Let's try a different approach._

"You seem to be pretty experienced in getting around," Minato said, arriving at the main point. "What places have you visited?"

"Um, I've gone around the world!" He replied, beaming brightly. "I've seen Kami's Lookout, Korin's tower, Papaya Island, West City, Mount Paozu, and a bunch of other places!"

Minato was lost. He'd never heard of even one of these so-called 'famous' places that Goku was talking about, even after recently topping his geography finals in the _Jonin_ Written Examinations. Kushina had helped him, just a little, though. Placing a sheet with all the answers right in the blind spot between the two invigilators' lines of sight, then simply transforming into a sexy, erotic distraction outside the classroom window, at just the right time for him to copy down the entire Geography paper in plain sight.

_Oh, Kushina… _That angel was the love of his life. He was going to ask her to marry him, once this blasted tension or whatever was going on between the Five Great Nations had calmed down a little. He knew what her answer was going to be, though. First a little blush, just a tinge of red, then a moment of thought. Probably ending in a soft _"yes"_, a tight hug, and maybe, just maybe a passionate…

"Why are you spaced out again, Minato?" Goku had reluctantly stopped again, clutching his stomach.

Minato went as red as Kushina's hair. Jiraiya-_sensei would probably disown me if he got to know about this…_

Distraction wasn't helping his investigation. Add in the almost nonsensical answers Goku gave to all further questions, it was no wonder the _Jonin_ wanted to just lie down and curl up into a sad, foetal ball, and weep large, warm tears. He ceased all further attempts to deduce some answers from Goku and just focused on walking back to his home village.

Goku seemed to have gotten over his worry for Minato. He seemed to be enjoying every moment that he was spending, staring at everything, ears pricking at every twig crunching under his feet, every small stream that bubbled as they walked past it, every bird as it sang its happy ballad, serenading the entire universe with its mellifluous voice, and such.

And before either knew it, the forest began thinning out, and clearings became visible through the dwindling trees. The wall of the village was close, just minutes away. Minato sighed, and cleared his mind of all the conflicting shit Goku had piled onto him. _Everything shall be revealed. If patience is what is required to achieve such a goal, I shall gladly wait. Goku, you are one interesting guy._

As they entered the Gate, they were frisked thoroughly. The Hokage was taking no chances. With the threat of a sudden aggressive move from one of the other villages looming over their heads, they could no longer risk any mistakes. Goku seemed fine with the procedure. He honestly held up his arms when asked without hesitation.

_Looks like he actually has nothing to hide except his past… _Minato was definitely going to coax it out of him. He just had to know.

As they walked through the village, Goku again seemed lost in his own world, gathering in all the sights the beautiful _Konohagakure_ had to offer. Looking at every building, every structure with awe and innocence, he really seemed like a child. But the still lingering gravity in the depths of his eyes suggested that the behaviour had an undertone of caution, as if anything could happen to him at the moment.

"All right! Now that you've got a look, what say we get a bite to eat?"

Goku exited his reverie at the speed of light, now staring at Minato with the gaze of an expectant puppy. Minato sighed at the hungry simpleton, and led him to the market district. As they approached the main market street, Minato noticed that Ichiraku's was just opening for lunch. Goku sprinted and ducked under the awning. "As much _ramen _you can possibly make, old man!" The smile on his face said it all. Minato couldn't help a grin himself.

"My treat, Goku."

Three words he would soon come to regret.

* * *

The morning turned into afternoon, and the village quietened down. The rush was over, and people were now settling in for a relaxed afternoon. The bustle quietened down, and noises slowly faded into calmness. All noise except the constant slurping, clacking and occasional burps of a kid impossibly finishing off the last of Ichiraku's entire weekly stock of _ramen _supplies.

Mouths hanging down till the ground, Minato and Ichiraku were now visibly nauseous. A small crowd had gathered around when Goku had started on his twentieth bowl, but had dispersed fifteen minutes, hands over mouths bulging with puke.

It was interesting to watch at first. Watching such a small kid demolish extra-large servings of hot noodles and soup was certainly interesting. Then, as you began to realize that the kid might just explode from the food in his stomach, he would lick his fingers and ask for one more, with just as much gusto as the previous bowl.

"One more, please!" How many times had that been said in the last two or three hours? This time, the restaurant owner had no more. Struggling, he said, "That's all I have, boy." Turning to the yellow-haired _Jonin_ next to the counter, he passed over a slip.

"That's the bill." It was a thick roll of paper. Minato gulped audibly.

"Is that the list of what he ate?" He asked nervously. He had twenty thousand yen kept aside as savings, and maybe that could cover the costs…

"No, dude. There is but one number on that roll. The total." His stern, solemn expression was back on now, clearly expecting payment in full.

As Minato unrolled the scroll like bill, the digits seemed to jump off the page, and dance around his field of vision. Forget five or even six-figure sums. This had eighteen zeroes at the end, and god knows how many nines before that.

"RUN!"

There was a Minato-shaped dust cloud right where his body was a second ago. Goku turned and saw him leave, then followed suit. Ichiraku didn't care to follow. He just dropped down to the floor, too exhausted to even give futile chase.

Minato was the fastest in the village, after all.

The _Jonin_ sprinted to the nearest telephone pole, and used a simple alternating jump step between it and a nearby fence to climb up. Jumping off the top, he landed on the roof, and rushed across it. Hopping from rooftop to rooftop, he was a fair distance away when he realized the mess he'd placed Goku in. He slowed and was about to turn around when something crashed into him from behind, and they both toppled over. A second of acceleration later, they hit the ground.

It wasn't a soft landing.

_Gravity, thou art but a heartless bitch…_

Minato groaned. Shifting, he turned to look at the thing that had hit him. Goku was standing there, sheepishly grinning. "Sorry, Minato, I didn't know you were going to stop so suddenly…" Minato was impressed. _He kept up with me? Maybe I don't need to start from the basics for him. I could just get to the main part and teach him chakra usage._

_It's your lucky day, Goku..._

* * *

Atop the Headquarters, Hiruzen stood on the balcony, gazing intently at the yellow man and his strange companion. The sun now shone brightly over the village, and gave everything a vivid, vibrant appearance. He noticed the chemistry between the two, the instant sync. Together, they were destined for great things. One did not need to be a Hokage to see that.

This fit excellently into the masterpiece of a plan he had made for his star student. The kid would play the role of a student much better than the three _Genin_ he was assigning Minato to. Still, it would be nice to see Minato overcome the hurdle of managing a three-man cell with the added pressure of handling the one absolute rookie amongst them.

_This boy has something to do with the green dragon. I am sure of it. I will not force him to reveal anything. If he does become a threat, I will protect the village. For now, however, I shall give him the benefit of the doubt._

He cast a silent gaze over to the treeline around the boy's position. The faint, almost non-existent change in the rustle of the leaves in a section of the tree was too subtle for even _Jonin_ eyes at times, but Hiruzen had earned the title of Hokage out of sheer merit.

_Root. Hence Danzo has arrived at the same conclusion as I have. I pray he doesn't do something rash and unnecessary. Like confronting the kid head-on. Minato will not have the strength to defend him against a full-fledged ANBU Root Squad._

He raised his hand. Almost immediately, a man in sleeveless armour appeared beside him, face covered with an expressionless mask. Kneeling, the man awaited Sarutobi's command.

"Summon Namikaze Minato and the accompanying child into my presence. Now. I wish to speak with them."

The man knuckled his masked forehead, and disappeared. The Hokage looked at the sprawling village again, and then ducked under the doorway, to return to his chambers.

_I wish you well, my student._

* * *

The unusual pair, now returned to ground level, were ambling along the many paths in the village. Goku skipped ahead, eyes closed, grinning maniacally. _He's enthusiastic as well, huh? What more could a mentor want? _Minato was feeling quite excited about the prospect of nurturing Goku's untapped potential as well.

As for Goku, well, he wanted to just fly up and soar into the blue, blue sky. He did a ballerina twirl, and landed gracefully and softly on the balls of his feet, quite like a cat. Looking back at his new _sensei,_ he walked forward, and suddenly bumped into someone.

He smelt lilac and a hint of jasmine in the air. As he turned his face around, long strands of black hair gently brushed his face, which made him urgent to see the mystery woman. He looked up into dark, bottomless eyes that seemed to soak up all his worries, calming and relaxing him all at the same time.

The face that framed those beautiful eyes was just as breath-taking. The hair fell back in strands, surrounding her features in a way most women worked very hard to achieve. She was perfect.

"_Sumimasen," _she apologised, and slowly walked on. Goku almost turned to follow her with his eyes, but remembered his manners right then. His face was glowing red, and he felt shamed by the fact that he felt like this for someone besides Chi-Chi.

"I see widdle Goku has a cwush…" Minato broke the silence, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting. He had the same cheesy smile on his face that Krillin had when he'd first confessed his feelings for Chi-Chi to him. _Sheesh. There's always that one creepy guy every single time, huh?_

Minato patted the young infatuated child on the back. _I understand, brother. She's nice, but also an Uchiha. They are insanely narrow-minded on inter-familial marriage. Especially with a meager nobody I found in the forest. He won't be meager after I'm done with training him, but still._

"Come on, Master Minato, don't be that guy…" Goku paused. That just felt so unnatural. He'd gotten so used to adding the title to Master Roshi's name, it had subconsciously come out.

"_Never, ever call me that…" _Minato had a dangerous look on his face. _Whoa. _"All right. I won't, I won't, Minato…" Goku hastily added. He didn't want to mess with a guy capable of giving such a fearsome expression. And as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. He was all smiles again. _That's insane… _Goku was now seriously freaked out.

"NAMIKAZE MINATO!" A voice called out from behind them. Minato recognized the tone. ANBU. _So Sarutobi-sensei got to know already, huh? Just how good are his info channels?_

"You are requested to be in the Third's chambers immediately with the child who is accompanying you. Kindly start moving towards the Headquarters."

With an audible sigh, Minato turned around and took a step towards the central part of the village. Goku followed, a quizzical expression on his face. His innocent confusion was marred slightly by the tinge of red on his cheeks. Oh, he had fallen for the jasmine lady hard.

_Very well, old man. You shall meet Goku now, if you have to. But I'm still training him, no matter what you say._

* * *

They reached the chambers a little out of breath, since Minato insisted on not keeping this very important person waiting. _I hope he's not like that pompous Mr. Satan. I can't bear a conversation with another of those self-important bastards right now._

But, as the door opened, Goku's skepticism turned into awe. The man behind the table was no impostor. He was no weakling either. He exuded power from every pore of his being. He sat there like he knew he belonged there, with the easy grace of a person having earned that spot through hard work.

The man gazed at Minato with... disappointment... if there had to be one word to convey the gist of it. It lingered for a while, and suddenly flicked onto Goku. It was like someone had just turned on the hypergravity machine. He felt a tremendous pressure in the guy's stare. He wasn't going to give up, though, and he returned a look just as ferocious.

The man's eyebrows widened, but his stare never even wavered. As they continued their macho standoff, Goku was trying and failing to measure the depth of gratitude he felt towards _him, _to have dropped him off in the most interesting scenario ever.

_Thanks, Shenron._

* * *

**Rant rant rant.**

**Fuck this all, I think you should simply review and move on.**

**Don't bother with this useless author.**

**But, before you fuck off to whatever shit you were up to before reading my work, one teeny thing.**

**Read the next chapter.**

**Peace out.**


	5. Infatuation

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**That was mighty fast, after the nine month gap, don't you agree?**

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Infatuation_**

* * *

Early afternoon had set in. The heat was simmering inside the closed chambers, and the barely-moving ceiling fan wasn't much help. Minato scratched his nose with a slightly damp finger. The staring match had gone from scary to okay to boring now. Neither was relenting. So, of course, being the meddlesome idiot that he was, he decided to break the ice.

"What did you call us in for, _Sandaime-sama_?"

Bad question. He knew he would regret that till he died. Sarutobi-sensei's glare swivelled over to him, outrage and anger and admonishment all bound together in one blood-curdling glance that could have ended the Second Great Shinobi War all on it's own.

A moment of silence followed, before the inevitable explosion.

"You have the _AUDACITY_ to ask me this question? You go gallivanting to who knows where during pre-war time, and I'm supposed to be okay with that? You are one of the most useless Jonins ever! Also, what was the rubbish you pulled off in that last mission?"

Minato tuned out the screaming. Hiruzen had a tendency to digress wildly in his lectures. How many times had a simple scolding aver a mission gone _slightly _wrong ended up being a sentimental rant over the uselessness of today's youth? He kept concentrating on the actual words, searching for the actual topic of the conversation.

"… And you bring in this random boy from the forest, and don't even come and report to me? How utterly irresponsible! I'm ashamed that you are my student!" There we go, back on topic.

"I WAS HUNGRY!" Goku's shout drowned the last few words. Both master and student turned to look at him, argument suspended.

"Minato was kind enough to treat me to _ramen, _and it's not his fault I was hungry! It's mine. He was probably going to take me to you as soon as I was done eating. It's also not his fault that we had to run from Ichiraku's without paying…"

Minato froze. _Crap. _The Hokage now had the _you-will-pay-back-the-money-with-interest_ look in his eye. _You shouldn't have said that…_

"It's my fault. So don't scold Minato!" he ended.

Silence. Goku opened his eyes and looked around. The old man had calmed down. "Despite all your failings, I am going to give you another chance."

Minato's ears pricked up at the sound of that. _Another chance? Finally, the days of espionage are upon me! Oh, oh, I want to go to the Hidden Village of the Mist! I've always wanted to test out the Rasengan in wet conditions. Oh, lucky, lucky me…_

"The current round of Genin tests has just finished. We have need of capable Jonin team leaders for what appears to be our finest batch in the last few years. I have assigned you to one particularly strong group…"

Astonishment drowned out the rest. _He thinks I'm capable enough to lead a Genin team? Then what the HELL was that just now about irresponsibility? You old fart!_

"Since they are very capable on their own, it wouldn't be a problem letting them perform missions under your useless thumb. They won't need to learn anything from you anyway…"

_There. Now was that so hard? _Fingers clenched, he just waded his way through the next few minutes of insults and lecturing, trying very hard not to burst out in anger.

"Also," _Fuck man, isn't he finished by now? _Expletives were uncommon in his usual conversation, but this was a trying situation. "This kid will be accompanying you on missions, training activities, and team meetings."

_Huh. That's weird; he doesn't even know who he is. Don't tell me. I was being observed with Goku since I entered the village. _Minato was angry now.

_Fine. Give me your best. In the trial, I'll make sure I fail all three of your recruits. They will have to wait until next year to become even slightly used to the experience of me raping their asses. They'll never even set foot out of the Academy training grounds for at least six months after I hand them each a resounding FAILED on their Genin qualification cards. They won't even have the nerve to ask me why._

"What is your name, child?" The man had suddenly changed to a kinder, more amicable voice. Goku gave a start. Apparently Minato's scolding had come to a close.

"Son Goku, sir!" He replied stiffly, standing at attention. This wasn't someone to be trifled with, not in their first encounter, at least.

"Where have you come from?" That was the question Goku had been dreading. He couldn't say anything here without sounding suspicious to the old man.

"A far-away village, Your Honor," Goku hesitantly replied, changing the honorific.

The man narrowed his eyes for a while, and then smiled. It was a nice smile; sincere and welcoming. "Fine. I will not enquire further, until you wish to tell me more. You will call me the Hokage from now on, understood?"

"Y-Yes, Your Excellency…" Goku stuttered. He was giving him the 'innocent until proven guilty' treatment. For that, he was grateful. _Very well. As soon as I am able to think about it without going completely insane, you will be the first person I'll talk to._

"Very well. Minato! The first interaction with you team starts in a week! Use that time to prepare yourself. This will not be as easy as you might think. Being a Jonin team leader means providing an unbreakable brick wall of support to your juniors, leading by example to make these three the best ninjas in the village. Teaching them will also play an important role as they will be giving the Chuunin exams in much tougher, pre-war times."

"Yes, _sandaime-sama." _Minato was the very face of meekness. _If they pass the test first…Those sons of bitches will not know what hit them._

The Hokage turned his back to look out of his large panoramic window. The village seemed to be full of life today, noise and bustle passing through the closed panes , reaching the ears of those present inside as a low rumble. "You are dismissed. Go."

"Yes, _sandaime-sama." _Turning, Minato motioned for Goku to follow him.

The two silently exited the room, without a further word.

The Hokage didn't see them leave. He was lost in his own thoughts. _He will be a fine successor someday, I hope. He just needs to learn the price of responsibility. Perhaps this team and the new kid will help him reach the maturity he needs to accept the position that I am going to offer him._

_I hope he doesn't take too long to figure it out. I'm passing it on as soon as he's ready. He is a much better fit for it than I ever was._

* * *

Minato was steaming on his way out of the building, stamping his feet like a wilful child. It was Goku doing the consoling. "Don't rage so, Minato. I'm sure His Radiance meant well."

"I know!" Spinning suddenly, he punched the corridor wall. "Why does he have to say stuff like that? He could have just told me properly, like one adult says to another...and drop the honorific, for fu- for lands sake."

"He's just trying to get you fired up about the team you are going to handle or whatever it is…" Goku knew nothing about the hierarchy here; he was just gleaning from the context.

"_The team, huh?_" Minato had the same ominous expression on his face as before. Goku cringed, fearing for the lives of the three Gen-_whatchemacallits_ who had incurred his wrath.

"Fine." Again, the demon-like face was gone, replaced by smiling calm. _How does he manage that__?_ "I'll just have to train you to their level within a week. Then my job will be easier. Come."

Goku silently followed, grinning like a child on five shots of morphine. _Training! Training! Training! _His mental cartwheels now had an added turn, and he was juggling three transsexual potatoes in his rotating hands as well.

Events were occurring perfectly. He was going to join these _shinobis _and help them in their cause, if he could. They seemed like a good bunch. And the word _war _had popped up in the Hokage's room, so he assumed that these fighters were an organized bunch, saving the common people in their village, acting all cool with their green flak jackets and forehead bands…

Minato suddenly scaled a wall, running up it to the roof. "Let's start with some parkour for warm-up," he said from the top. "Race you to the training ground! It's in this direction, straight ahead. You'll know when you reach. So, see ya!" With that, he disappeared in a sudden burst of _chakra._

Goku just stood there. Counting backwards in his head. _Forty nine, forty eight…_

_That much of a handicap will be enough of a challenge, I guess…_

Minato leaped from the slanting tile roof of a residential building to the flat concrete of the commercial centre. The sign on the door swung below him, as he passed by. He placed his palms on the parapet, swung his legs over in a smooth motion. He hit the roof running, momentum intact. Using_ chakra _from his feet to add that extra push, he sprinted and took a direct jump onto the next parapet. Without slowing, he jumped off the parapet, soaring above the bustling Market Street to the next building.

Konohagakure was a warren of streets, as convoluted as a maze. The fastest way to get from point A to point B was parkour, specifically the aerial route. Down below on the streets, even terribly skilled shinobi would find it difficult to weave a path out of the mild chaos of people. Leaping down from the building, he hit the path, rolled and was sprinting off towards the training ground before anyone even got the time to look at the crazy _shinobi._

He suddenly came across a large three-story house. He started climbing, frustrated. If only there was a way to reach there instantaneously… Using something to mark the place he was going to…

_THERE! _It hit him. A _kunai_, with a summoning scroll on it. Throwing it to some location, then activating it with _chakra_, using the scroll to summon _himself _to that point!

The rest of the wall climb was not even noticed. He was busy calculating the materials required, the shape of the _kunai_ required, and the scroll contents. As the next rooftop came and the next, and the next, he was too busy formulating his new technique to see the small shadow of a very cocky child slip past him, and go ahead even after a fifty second handicap.

* * *

Goku was using his perfect timing sense to avoid vertical sections of the route, preferring to sprint on the ground in a slightly longer path than climb, which took far more time. Thus, the crow's flight path was the fastest only in flight. Quickly estimating time taken for the alternative routes, he carved a zig-zagging, jumpy path that got him to the lush lawns of the training ground a whole fifteen seconds before his _sensei._

_There we go. _He sat down to wait for the slow-poke to arrive, mocking comments ready in his head. He counted down from fifteen in his head. Reached zero. No Minato.

He was a little surprised. Maybe he'd overestimated his _sensei's _abilities. He simply waited. As the seconds turned into minutes, Goku switched from confidence to irritation, then genuine concern. _What happened? Has he gotten caught up in some trouble? I should probably go to help…_

He rose, then froze. _(Sorry 'bout the rhymes. They be droppin' like shoppin'...well fuck it.)_ What if this was Minato testing his patience? What if it was part of his training? He'd seen Master Roshi come for their sessions hours late, suppressing his and Krillin's discontent with some lecture about being patient. Goku had always felt that was a useless excuse the pervert made to gaze at his magazines a little while longer.

It didn't seem like the case with Minato. _I don't think girls are the reason Minato's late. It can't be. He seems like a decent, nice, hard-working and sincere person. He must have forgotten something, or must be teaching me a lesson in learning to wait. _He sat back down, cross-legged, and closed his eyes, losing himself in the symphonies of the natural world around him. The sounds were just the thing he needed. It calmed him down, and as the exhaustion from the fight set in, he didn't even realize when he had fallen gently into a deep sleep. In his dreams, he concerto continued, like Nature itself was performing solely for his pleasure.

* * *

Four large movements later, he felt a finger poke him in the face. He awoke, and saw Minato crouching in front of him, smiling embarrassedly. "I'm really, really sorry I took so long."

Goku merely closed his eyes and pretended not to care. "Really sorry, man…" Minato continued. "There's someone I want you to meet," He pointed to his left. A really cute girl was standing right there.

_I shouldn't expect better from any of my teachers, should I? _Face-palming mentally, he tiredly raised his eyes and saw her eye to eye.

"Hello! I'm Kushina!" She seemed lively enough. _She'd better not be like that crazy woman Marron that Krillin was into… _"I'm Minato's girlfriend," she said, looking at the yellow haired guy next to her with a mildly goofy expression before looking right back at the confused kid sitting on the lawn.

"I-I met her on the way," Minato pushed through, despite the heat on his face. "She wanted to meet you, so I brought her here. She'll stay and watch us train, and…"

Minato paused. Goku's eyes were sly slits, and he had a smug smirk on his face that just reeked of cheesiness. It shouted '_Minato-sensei has a gurl-fwend!' _through its utter lack of sincerity. He blushed further, the colour on his cheeks deepening to a shade just short of vermilion.

The moment of embarrassment was over. Goku got up, brushed off his gi, and simply entered a fighting pose. It said _I'm ready, come at me, _through the tentativeness of the hands, the slight pre-meditative sway, the bend in the knees allowing free spontaneous movement in any direction.

Minato left Kushina's side. Entering basic _Taijutsu _position, he met the challenge head-on. This time, it was Goku who rushed into the offensive. Taken aback by the shift from the heavily defensive starting pose, Minato was a fraction of a second too late to react.

Goku's spinning jump kick crashed into his raised forearm at the wrong point. Blocking is done by receiving the force of the opponent's attack through the muscular parts of your limbs, and matching his movement speed to further reduce its effect. By taking the momentum out of the hit, you reduce all the energy he spends in performing such an attack to shreds. This both psychologically and physically weakens your opponent. He then tries that much harder the next time. It doesn't matter, though; now you have earned the edge, you can block his future attacks with just as much ease, and it will deflate him in no time.

However, Minato was too late in raising his arm. His muscles weren't prepared for impact at that point. The force of the kick was unexpectedly huge. Minato felt his arm spin, giving way to the leg, and then felt the same leg connect with the side of his face, almost at the most dangerous part, the temple. A really hard impact there is usually enough to kill a man.

Softened by the blocking arm, it still drove into his face, a centimetre above the sweet spot. He felt himself being pushed down, impulse of the kick driving him to fall sideways. As his head caressed the blades of grass, he suddenly tightened his abdomen, and quickly moved under the kick's radius, and used his legs to propel himself into a tight roll around Goku's airborne torso.

Exiting the roll, he drove his fist upward, aiming at Goku's unguarded jaw. Suddenly, he ducked, and Minato's hand passed through the tips of his hair, uppercut rendered useless. Whipping his legs around extremely fast, Goku scissor-kicked his _sensei _in the chest, making him fly backwards as if he was in an explosion.

Sprinting, he caught up with the flying Jonin, and jumped up behind him. Moving arms in vertical circles, he slammed him right in the chest, crashing him into the hard, unyielding ground, a similar sequence to what had been done to him just hours ago.

Minato bounced once, then fell down onto his back, groaning in pain. Goku had perfectly planned the power of the driven punch. It was enough to hurt, yet not so much that he would be too hurt to teach him afterwards. As he lay there, groaning, the red-haired girl ran over to her boyfriend, without a word.

Goku was expecting the stereotypical "_Minato-kun!_" as she came up to him. What he definitely did not expect was the hard slap she dealt, right on his _sensei's _face. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You're losing to a mere _kid? _One you found in the woods just a little while ago?"

Goku stifled a laugh, watching the plaintive Minato trying to offer an apology with an explanation, but Kushina swept them away like so much dust. She soundly scolded him, like one does a little child, but with more condescension and sarcasm than normal. _She reminds me so much of Chi-Chi… _Goku felt a similarity grow between him and his yellow-haired master.

Minato was now trying to get off his beaten ass, but Kushina sternly pushed him back down onto the ground. "That's enough from you, you useless good-for-nothing Jonin… It's my turn now. Come, kiddo…"

Despite himself, Goku felt a little hurt at that last word. _Kiddo? Come on; show at least a little respect. I've only recently re-acquired my youth. _He shook his head, clearing away stray thoughts. _You haven't told anyone here yet, so stop feeling sad like a teenage girl. FOCUS!_

He returned to a casual, cocky pose. The swagger of it said _you first _better than any spoken statement. Kushina showed no emotion except a slight tightening around the corners of her mouth. She charged, with a clearly deceptive slowness.

Goku prepared for the explosive, rapid-fire series of attacks. _A couple of punches right down the middle, followed by a sideways feint and a strong knee strike from the opposite direction. Probably ending in catching me by the throat and making me give up, or some crap like that._

However, she did nothing of the sort. Rapidly moving her hands in some weird pattern, she finished with the first two fingers of her left hand gripped by her right, showing the same straight two fingers. And all of a sudden, there were three of her. Only the slightest of shimmers told Goku which two bodies were fake.

_The afterimage technique, huh? _Goku snorted. _Hmph. Try harder._ Shifting stances, he lightly tapped the real advancing redhead on the nose, and then nimbly stepped back. Returning to the same aggravating pose, he smirked.

Kushina had stopped in her tracks, amazement clearly showing on all three of her faces. Yet, the afterimages remained in place. As she charged again, Goku felt disappointed. _She thought that was a lucky shot? Well, it doesn't hurt to show her once again…_

He launched himself forwards, into the path of the three girls heading towards him. Jabbing his finger at the real one's nose, he intended to do more than poke this time. _Giving it a flick would irritate her to no end, I assume, _he thought, already imagining her chagrined face.

His finger passed through her nose, flickering slightly. _An afterimage?_ _What? But how?_

A foot crashed into his back, causing Goku to faceplant into the ground. _So she added the shimmer on purpose…Nice, _he admitted grudgingly. _Although, I'm not giving up that easily…_

Quickly pushing himself of the ground, he resumed his swagger. But Kushina was nowhere to be seen, just an abashed Minato sitting on the lush lawns. Goku concentrated, searching for the trace of Ki he'd sensed from Minato earlier. _She must be using Ki for that afterimage technique…_

He sensed none at all. Not even a slight trace from Minato, either. Goku couldn't understand it. Where was their Ki?

He saw a leg descending onto the back of his head, and ducked to dodge it, turning his entire torso as he lowered it. Now facing upwards, he saw Kushina's fist descending a fraction of a second too late to dodge. He had time to block, though, plenty of it. Cupping his palm, he caught the fist an inch above his face. He realized to his amazement that he'd grossly underestimated the power of the punch. Going by physique, Kushina wasn't much, but her insane life force combined with her large _chakra_ reservoir packed quite the wallop.

His hand was pushed back into his face, like he was punching himself. _Ow, that hurt… _Goku mentally stated the obvious, resolving to take her more seriously. Tightening his grip on her fist, he used his free hand to grab her shoulder, and bent over backwards, crashing her head into the ground, German suplex style.

He held the position for a few more seconds than was necessary, ensuring she didn't have any tricks up her sleeve. Releasing her body, he slowly straightened. She collapsed in an unconscious heap, right where she was. Seeing her out of action, and Minato still sitting down, he relaxed his guard. Just a little bit.

Then he saw the shimmer.

_Oh, crap._

* * *

The ground beneath him crumbled, and two hands caught his feet firmly. The earth shook, and the body connected to the arms freed itself from the soil, still maintaining the hold on Goku's feet. Rising up, Kushina pushed off her grip, adding more momentum. Flexing strong thigh muscles, she drove her head and forehead protector right into Goku's abdomen.

He doubled over in pain, and the Uzumaki _jinchuuriki _kneed him in the groin. No quarter was given in _shinobi_ battles, and it was not going to be given here. Goku's eyes slid back into his head as he fell to the ground, clutching his privates like he was a teen again.

"You see how much you have to learn, you cocky little runt?" the redhead was standing in front, knee still not lowered, smiling like it amused her to hit guys in the nuts.

_'It probably does, too, for this she-devil.'_

* * *

_Dystopia_. A condition where life is a frightening prospect, undesirable, even. Death was preferable in certain situations in the life of a human being.

When life sways in a direction you don't want it to, you accept it. Life is, after all, a mixture of both success and failure. One would follow the other, and the human would learn to live with it.

There is, of course, a single anomaly, an exception, as there always was.

Dragonballs.

And so, puny, weak as they were, they would go after the piece of seven, hoping to tip the balance of life in their favor. For these individually pathetic spheres had a rather special ability. Collected together, they allowed the human to ask the eternal dragon his single heartfelt desire, and it would be granted. Surely.

No more conditions. It was as simple as that.

_It has begun._

* * *

**So?**

**Kushina being the short-tempered girl with a tendency towards violence, as always.**

**More training is going to follow. Also, no spoilers, but there is going to be a Naruto version of a DBZ technique in the next chapter.**

**Keep reading, people...**

**Thanks for all the great reviews, guys. I promise this entire story will be a doozy.**

**Cheers!**


	6. Training

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Edited Ver. 28-6-2016**

**It has been pointed out to me that I needed a few minor edits in my chapters, starting from this one, so I've decided to finish them off.**

**I hope it will read a little better by the time I'm done.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**_Chapter 5: Training_**

* * *

Goku let out his third massive burp of the meal. Minato, sitting to his left, seemed ready to throw out his bowl of _ramen_. "Another bowl, kid?" Ichiraku was the only one left who was still enthusiastic about this crazy kid's eating habits.

To be completely fair, the Hokage had personally agreed to pay for the little boy's food expenses, so neither Goku, nor the young businessman who'd started a _ramen _shop because of a drunken bet, were daunted in the slightest.

"Yes, please!"

The whole line waiting to be served gave out a collective _sigh._ This wasn't a good day for them. "Coming right up!"

After the monstrous face-stuffing was over, Minato and his new student rose, turning into the street. "So, tomorrow, we'll be going over the more advanced _taijutsu _moves," Goku simply nodded. He was too full to speak. "Also…" Minato paused for effect. The blush on his face marred the effect. "Kushina said she will now overlook your training along with me," he added.

A cold sweat broke out on the young Saiyan's face. _That red-haired she-devil said so? And 'OVERLOOK'? She practically dominated Minato and whopped my ass! Oh damn, Shenron… There just has to be a price, hasn't there?_

He waited for the usual shudder that he felt when he thought of the taboo name. There wasn't one. _Hmm. Seems like his effect over my subconscious is fading already… Maybe I am free of him, after all._

Wrong words. Without warning, the evening sky darkened. People going about their lives around him on the street seemed not to notice, but Minato did. Goku looked around for the source of the sudden shadow. Not seeing anything covering any light, he looked right up.

_OH. MY. GOD._

* * *

The sky was swirling, like it was being stirred by a huge ladle. The small flashes of lightning seemed random at first, but after a while, they looked like they were defining a shape in the clouds. A familiar shape.

_I just had to tempt fate. Just fucking had to…_

The lightning flashes grew denser, now almost covering the green dragon's entire body. The continuous light intensified, revealing his worst fears out into the darkened twilight.

The dragon hovered there, in all his emerald majesty. Its red eyes were bright with what could only be called rage. They smouldered like coals in a furnace. And they seemed focused on him.

_What more could he want? I thought the deal was sound. All my Ki in exchange for freedom! Oh, come on… _He prepped himself for another round of mental torture and complete fragmentation of his memories. Not wanting to see it happen, he closed his eyes.

That had no effect. For even with his eyes closed, all his mind could picture was that cruel green face, the snout, the red, terrifying eyes, and that disgusting red mane.

_Wait. Red mane? Wasn't Shenron exclusively…_

_GREEN? RIGHT ON, RUNT._

Goku opened his eyes in astonishment. Shenron's reptilian façade had been replaced by the face of the second most feared person on his list. Kushina stared at him, but somehow, she had retained Shenron's blood-curdling gaze.

She had on a nasty, sadistic expression. _Wait. What is going on?_

Her head seemed attached to the rest of Shenron's form. He tore his eyes away from that debilitating stare, and looked over at Minato. He seemed frozen in place, unable to move a muscle, or even keep his jaw from touching the ground. He looked back. And saw the dragon-girl mess rushing towards him.

Somehow, he knew what part of his body she was aiming for.

* * *

"NOT MY BALLS!" Goku screamed and sat up. Keeping his eyes closed, he expected pain to travel up his entire torso once the initial shock of being punched in the giblets faded. There was none for at least a minute.

Slowly, fearfully, he opened his eyes. He was in his allotted room. The ceiling fan slowly turned, giving no breeze at all to evaporate the sweat soaking through his new nightclothes. The half-eaten cup ramen lay on the chair he was using as a makeshift night-stand. His copy of _Basic Ninja Techniques _was flung down onto the floor, right where he'd chucked it in frustration the night before.

_Damn that woman! She's begun to invade my dreams now, too? Can't I get a moment's peace without her presence?_

For the first three days of Son Goku's training, here in this new world, had not gone well. First of all, he'd grossly underestimated how much his own body had atrophied in the millions of decades spent inside Shenron. Forget one-finger push-ups in 100G; forget them even in standard gravity. Even the standard one _hand _routine left him breathless and tired after a hundred reps.

Despite his quite literal handicap, he'd done everything Kushina had said, and more. She asked for thirty _taijutsu katas, _he did forty-five. She set traversal of the village skyline from point to point time limit to a gruelling two minutes, he found a path, through maybe an unused alleyway, or a chance open window, to shave twenty seconds from that as well. Yet, she never gave him a word of appreciation. Not even a glance of acknowledgement.

It didn't faze him, for he was used to setting insane training standards, but the constant lack of approval made her into a respected, if not totally feared, teacher. Every _kunai _he'd thrown, in practice the day before, earned disappointed glances if they were so much as a hair's breadth from the minuscule cross drawn on the bark of a tree fifty metres away. Every day he trained under her became absolute hell before the sun set. But even then, she wasn't done. She would keep him there, without any food or water, for a dozen hours at a stretch, with a total of barely five minutes of rest.

He did not fear the training as much as he feared her disapproval. The fact that there was someone other than Vegeta who had such extreme expectations of themselves and others was astounding. Goku detested Kushina deeply, but was always at the training ground fifteen minutes before the stipulated time, doing an extra _kunai _drill, or a little sprinting speed workout.

It was working better than he'd ever expected. His body, having already been in a state of high muscle mass, was readily returning to its pre-Shenron state. The unlimited food decree given by the Hokage worked in his favour as well. The meat protein, plus the crazy training had already brought his biceps back, and his thighs felt like rocks under his ochre gi.

The best part of the training, he felt, was the half hour Kushina allotted for interaction with his original _sensei._ He and Minato would discuss theory, such as the concept of Instant Transmission using _kuchiyose _scrolls on specially constructed _kunai. _Also, Minato showed him advanced _Chakra _moves, to keep him interested. The _rasengan _was definitely the first move he was going to learn, as soon as the devil taught him how to mould his own _Chakra._ The _Kage Bunshin _came a close second, for Goku knew that when his Ki returned, it divided amongst even a thousand of his clones would be devastatingly huge. More was definitely merrier.

_But all that for later,_ he reminded himself. _First let's learn about_ Chakra. He reached over, and pulled the book on basic _ninjutsu _towards him. Opening it to the section labelled 'Chakra', he started description in the basic book was very vague. _Chakra _usage had a lot to do with feeling your way around to find your physical energy, or something. Also, some mental energy was needed as well. Combining those gave rise to the basic requirement of all Ninjutsu.

He had concentrated to find this physical energy, but it was useless. Apparently, it had to be extracted from every cell in the body. He closed his eyes, ready to try again. This time, he sensed the presence of a certain pipeline throughout his body that wasn't there before. _It is probably because it is so weak compared to my Ki. Now that I have no Ki, this Chakra now becomes my lifeline._

He had no trouble finding his mental energy. Master Roshi's training regime had raised his concentration to near perfect levels. Willing his way through, he forced a little of his mental energy through the pipeline he'd just found. As soon as it was flowing nicely, he pushed at the little beads of physical energy present in the cells right next to the pipeline. They too broke the surface, entering the vessels smoothly and easily. What happened next was certainly unexpected.

As soon as they combined, Goku felt a pressure unlike anything he'd ever felt while exuding Ki. His entire body seemed like it was going to explode, and the pipeline seemed ready to burst. The pressure turned to pain. Excruciating pain.

He screamed as it reached unbearable levels. In his extreme panic, he had to find a way out for the pressure. Else it felt like he was going to explode from the inside. He realized that the pressure was also pinching certain points just under his skin. He realized that the way to clear the pain was to somehow let it out through those points. He simply willed them to open. Nothing fancy, just a simple thought. And, like a magical genie was hearing and granting Goku's every frickin' thought, the 361 _tenketsu _present on his body all simultaneously opened.

Like the floodgates of an overfull dam, _Chakra _burst forth, enveloping his entire body, and flowing outwards in random directions. It was a wild flow, completely uncontrollable. The entire apartment shook with the aftershocks. The _ramen _cup had already fallen over, the soaked stale noodles were strewn over the bed sheets.

With a start, he realized that he had to shut off the flow. Using sheer willpower, he separated the physical and mental energies; making the mental part flow back through separate pipeline vessels back to his mind, letting the physical stuff seep back slowly into his cells.

He took a deep, shuddering breath. The entire bedspread was covered with _ramen _goop and his sweat. He stood up, removing his clothes. That would be his third bath of the day. Rolling up the bed sheet into a ball, he tossed it out of the window. It was now his landlady's problem. Entering the cubicle, he turned on the shower. The water was cold at this time of the night, or rather early morning. What he wanted was a boiling hot shower to loosen his tired and sore muscles.

He decided to try a little something. Closing his eyes, he plucked out little mental energy, a fraction of what he'd drawn before. Combining it with the same amount of physical energy right around his palms. As the pressure built up, he thrust his hand right up, grabbing the shower head. He released all his generated _chakra_ through the holes in his hand into the holes of the shower. Removing his hand, he let the water flow again. It was piping hot, just the way he wanted.

_Just perfect. _The shower was soothing for two reasons now.

* * *

The next morning, he was rudely awoken by screams from the landlady. He abruptly got up, and stumbled downstairs to the source of the commotion. The landlady's front door was open. He could hear sobbing from the inside. He ran in, expecting some sort of armed robbery. He reached the bedroom, and there she sat, clutching her face. It looked red and puffy. "Kotonoha-baa-san, what happened?" he asked.

"I-I-I t-t-t-turned on the ta-ta-tap to w-w-wash my f-f-f-face..."she said, amidst sobs, "And the water was scalding! So hot! I burned my face and my palms!"

Goku gulped. That little amount of _chakra _wasn't so little after all.

"I will find the rascal who heated up the water supply to boiling, and won't rest till I throw a bucket of his own water onto his face!" She seemed livid with rage now.

"Don't do that, Kotonoha-baa-san!" Goku added hurriedly. "I'm sure he suffered as a result as well... I highly doubt it was a prank..."

He reached over to the dressing table and got hold of the skin ointment. He gently took the landlady's palms in his hands, and rubbed the oily substance right into them, as gently as he could. Kotonoha smiled wearily. It was a genuine smile, though. She really liked her new tenant. "Why can't those other whippersnappers be like you, Son-kun? You've only been here three days, and you've done more to help me than all the others combined over the last _year,_" she ranted on, oblivious to her new tenant's now relaxed face.

Goku sighed with relief. _At least I'm off the hook... She'll never suspect me._

He looked over at the wall clock. _OH HOLY CRAP!_

It was 5:30 already. "Sorry, baa-san, but I have to rush," he said, not even waiting for a reply. Springing up the stairs, he changed quickly into his fighting gi, and jumped out of the window, already heading for the next rooftop. There was no time to amble through the village today, enjoying the sounds of people working, as they set up their various shops, readying for the business of the day.

Using his newfound parkour slash roadrunning style, he reached the training ground a good five minutes early. To his horror, Kushina was already there.

* * *

"You're LATE!" she said, as he skidded smartly to a halt in front of her.

"That's not fair! I'm early, five minutes early!" he replied indignantly.

"A good _shinobi _would have been here a half hour earlier..." she said, disdain evident from her tone of voice.

Goku simply stared at his shoes sullenly. This was not an argument he was going to win.

"Anyway," she continued, "I've brought someone here with me. She is my friend, and she really wanted to see this new kid I'm training." She looked straight at him, and matched his gaze. "Yes, you, in case you were too stupid to realize already."

She pointed to her left. "There she is!"

Goku followed her finger. The person he saw stopped his heart. It was the girl from the street. Goku felt his face go crimson. In his fantasies, he'd always referred to her as Jasmine, after her characteristic smell. She'd always like being called that, in his dreams... Even now, the fragrance of freshly picked jasmine blossoms wafted off of her, alluring, yet somehow comforting all at once. There she sat, legs crossed, wearing a simple, yet beautiful blue dress. A red and white fan was embroidered on the left breast. He reddened further. He didn't mean to look at her breast. _Man, ol' man Roshi really liked them, didn't he?_

All this was forgotten in a hurry as he tasted mud in his mouth. "YAAAH!" he screamed as he noticed Kushina stuffing a mouthful of mossy soil down his throat. _Lucky I haven't had breakfast. It would have all come out in a hurry..._

He hurriedly pushed Kushina's putrid hand away from his face, and quickly hacked and coughed all the mud out. It took quite a while. Rubbing his tongue, he removed the sick taste from his buds. He wouldn't be able to taste anything for a few days, at the very least. "Why the hell did you do that?" he screamed at his villain of a teacher.

"You're lucky I didn't choke you to death with it-_ttebane," _There it was. The sentence closer she used when she was pissed or excited. Goku saw no reason for her to be excited, but you never knew. Maybe Kushina had a fetish for strangling kids with fresh clayey soil. "Anyway," she continued, "are you going to stare all day, or are you going to disappoint me in some other way, all over again, runt?"

_Now she's gone and done it. _Goku was angry now. All the frustration of his weakened body, the weird dreams, the sleepless nights, and being called _runt _by a girl young enough to be his granddaughter came out at once. Focusing, he dragged out the mental energy into the _chakra _pipeline. Adding the required physical energy, he concentrated on his palm, again.

He had noticed the subtle motions of _chakra _Minato had produced to make the _Rasengan. _He merely copied from sheer instinct. _Add a rotation here, the reverse direction over here, maybe another perpendicular circle here... _He looked up to see Kushina's eyes popping. _See this, red devil? Finally surprised?_

He remembered who had come to watch. Blushing furiously, he tried his best to keep a calm, detached face, like it was nothing at all to produce a _Rasen-whatever._

"STOP! YA' FOOL!"

Goku looked back at Kushina. She actually looked worried. _What happened? Why are you looking so scared? Afraid of my growing strength?_

He looked down at his hand. And saw a very large replica of Minato's attack hovering over his bleeding palm. _What's happening? Minato's is just as strong, but smaller. How does he make it that small? And why is my palm bleeding? _All of a sudden, everything went to hell. The ball suddenly got uncontrollable, chakra rotation unravelling and entangling all at once. Goku realized, with a growing horror that this was heading to an eventual explosion.

_NO! I won't show weakness in front of her! After all I've done the last three days; this is the only thing that has impressed her! Also, the beautiful girl is also here... I'd better not fail in front of her, else I'll have to work extra hard to make up for that kind of first impression._

He held out his right hand as well, and released equal _chakra _into it. Straining his mind to its limit, he added the same random rotations to it as well. _CRAP! _A fresh burst of pain arose as his right hand similarly started oozing blood. He'd added the exact opposite but equal rotations to this one. The result was that he now had two huge mirrored _rasengans_ in both hands, about to destroy more than his hands if he didn't act fast.

Lifting his right hand, he brought it over to his left side, and re-assumed a well-remembered stance. Letting both the balls of _chakra _mingle, he waited until the rotations synced. The opposing motions of the two _rasengans _meshed together, creating a very effective gear-like system. It pumped the _chakra_ from in between the intersection of the two balls, creating a common current of _chakra _that pushed forwards on the tips of his fingers.

He waited, counting mentally. _Ka...Me..._

_Ha...Me..._

Kushina looked completely freaked out now. As for his dream woman, she looked on, enthralled by this thirteen-year old managing not one, but two examples of a Jonin-level technique. Goku fed on the confidence that gaze gave him, and gathered the power. And, like a flash, it hit him. Ideas begun to sprout in his mind, ideas of _chakra _control and usage, and a myriad ways in which the advanced _jutsus _Minato had shown him could be performed. Also, he realized, much to his pleasure and surprise, that most of the seal formations were plain useless in a lot of techniques.

_Dende have mercy, I'm a freaking genius!_

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

_MOTHER OF FUCKING GOD!_

Kushina saw the bluish-white beam come out of the kid's hands, and decimate the trees surrounding the clearing a good hundred metres away. He maintained the attack for a good three more seconds, and then lowered his arms. The image of the beam glowing bright as it decimated the foliage seemed burned into Kushina's retinas. _I berate the kid for three damn days, and he produces THAT? What kind of monster is he?_

She looked at Goku's panting figure. There was _chakra _surrounding his entire body, _tenketsus _releasing the excess flow out of everywhere to minimize its destructive effect. _He isn't doing this out of experience, this is sheer instinct. _Only partly wrong, for Goku had a crazy amount of past experience, except the energy-providing substance was different here.

She noticed Minato running over. It was time for the official training to begin, for it was seven in the morning. Minato made it a point never to show early or late. He was here at seven, perfect right down to the millisecond. Kushina had often used him as an alarm for their _chuunin _written tests. Although, here, it meant that he had missed the event of the day. He slowed down, walking over to Kushina.

"What happened here? Why do you look shell-shocked, Kushina?" Minato glanced around. Saw Kushina's friend sitting on the rocky outcrop, and greeted her. "How are you doing, Mikoto?"

Kushina noticed Goku's ears prick up, and saw his lips curl into a sly smile. _Whoa. He's looking all creepy; what's this all about? Ah, but I will find out._

"I'm fine, Minato-san," replied the Uchiha. "I just came here to see how Kushina's new student's training is going on,"

"Wait, wait, wait. _Kushina's _new student?" Minato cast a withering glance at his girlfriend. "He's my student, actually..."

"He seems more at ease with her than with you, Minato-san, if I may say so," she gave Goku a glance out of the corner of her eye, and Kushina actually saw the boy attain _nirvana_right there and then.

"Never mind that," Minato's face was resigned. "What just happened?"

Kushina gulped. Took a deep breath. "Our boy just skipped over a few steps in his training."

Goku winced. _She even made THAT sound like I've done something horribly wrong..._

"Now that that little scare is over, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU LITTLE RUNT?" Kushina's face was as red as her hair.

"B-B-B-But..." Goku whimpered.

"Are you crazy? Trying such an advanced technique at your level? You don't even _have _a level yet! I'm not even going to ask _who _taught you all this _chakra _nonsense so early in your training," She paused intentionally, giving Minato a disdainful glance. Minato looked even more confused now, given that he didn't know jack shit about what had happened.

All resistance was futile. Goku hung his head down to his toes, exuding shame and sorrow. He had found that that particular pose worked with even the harshest of people. _Vegeta,_for one, had fallen to its sheer pathos. He just waited calmly, waited for Kushina to succumb to pity. _Although, in all probability, she just might not. She is an emotionless slave-driver after all._

"Just what did Goku do that was so bad?" Minato asked.

"See for yourself," Kushina pointed towards the destroyed trees to her left.

Minato saw the carnage, and still nothing even flickered. "So he broke a couple of trees. What's bad about that?"

"Hmph!" Kushina gave an exasperated sigh. "He got those trees down without moving from that spot."

"You mean..." Minato's eyes widened. Kushina nodded._ Finally, my ever so slow boyfriend gets it._

"He did that with _kunais? _From this distance?"

_Sheesh... Why am I going out with him, anyway? _The answer rose to Kushina's mind; the beautiful, moonlit night, him carrying her in his arms, having saved her from those _Kumogakure __shinobi_, him complimenting her hair...

_NO! Not the time for teen fangirling. _She walked up to Minato, grabbed his stupid head, and shook it wildly. _Why are you SO retarded?_

"The runt's learned how to use _chakra, _you fool," she said. "He managed to make almost a perfect _rasengan _on what looked like his first try, made another, and created some beam that he then launched to decimate that flora there."

Minato's jaw hung till the floor. "Ch-ch-chakra in just one day? But we checked! His _tenketsu's _were completely closed yesterday! You mean he learnt how to mould it and got such fine control over it in one night?"

"Yes! And I was just telling this stupid kid to not go stomping over the learning curve!"

Goku saw both Minato and Kushina agree on that last point. _I'm doomed. Just the hanging head won't work now. I'm probably going to get just the hanging part._

"How is learning that fast a bad thing?"

* * *

All conversation ceased. Everyone turned to face Mikoto, not willing to believe that she had just said.

"It's probably not my place, but what he did was impressive," she continued.

"But he could have killed himself and us both in the process!" Kushina argued.

"He didn't, did he? After all, it's the final result that counts, not the method," Mikoto added, eloquently. "Again, it's not my business, but shouldn't you be telling him how to control his _chakra, _instead of wasting time berating him for a genuine oversight anyone in his position could have made? You were specifically telling me how little time you have before Minato takes him on missions, weren't you, Kushina?"

Kushina was speechless. It was an irrefutable argument. _I really can't say anything. The boy's progress is stupendously fast._

Minato smiled. It wasn't a very common sight; seeing Kushina stumped by someone else.

"Well then; let's get on with the training today, shall we?" He looked at Goku. The boy had tears in his eyes, tears of extreme joy. He nodded, grinning like a maniac.

"Okay, Goku," Kushina seemed to have recovered her poise. "Give me five hundred one _finger_ push-ups, now!"

"YES, MA'AM!" Goku dropped down, completely pumped by that thumbs-up from Mikoto.

Kushina slowly walked around Goku, checking form, and technique. She didn't need to, Goku never cheated in workouts. "After this, you will sprint and race me from this end of the training ground, through the forest to the other side. God forbid you lose that race, because I shall give no quarter. Nor will I go easy on you. COME ON, faster, you runt!"

Goku smiled, and sped up his routine.

* * *

The morning and early afternoon passed uneventfully. Kushina pressed Goku to his limit, and he obliged, beating even her strictest standards. _Not bad, _she admitted to herself rather grudgingly. As the sun begun to approach the tops of the trees to the west of the Great Hidden Village, Kushina called a halt. Goku panted, barely able to walk and breathe at the same time.

_Today wasn't so bad, Kushina actually seemed nice..._ mused Goku, as he huffed and puffed his way back to the central courtyard of the training grounds. His entire body ached from the harsh workout, but he didn't mind. He knew he'd surpassed all his records from the last three days. Kushina hadn't said anything, but he sensed satisfaction in her body language.

The reason for this exceptional show was the girl who had stayed and watched his entire schedule. Mikoto had been totally interested in everything Goku had to do, including the not-so-interesting fifteen minute plank. There was no movement, just him lying there, body rigid and shaking from the sheer stress on his abdomen.

As he stumbled and fell in front of his original _sensei's _feet, he couldn't help but wonder what she had in mind. What caused her to stay? Just a simple obligation to a friend? But Kushina wouldn't ask for a lame-ass favour as this one. No, Mikoto was here because she wanted to. Which meant only one thing. She wanted to talk to him. He blushed furiously, driving away all stray thoughts.

He saw that it was still light out. Today's training had ended rather early. It was not until well after sunset that Kushina allowed Goku his rest. _What does this mean?_

Kushina walked up from behind, joining her yellow-haired lover and their student. "Well, after careful consideration," she said, "And a little prodding from that _persistent _friend of mine, I shall agree to you getting a whole two hour lesson from Minato today."

Goku's eyes twinkled with happiness. "Use that time well, for tomorrow I shall expect you to at least use ten different _chakra _moves. The Kame-thingy you just did doesn't count. Get it?" Kushina smiled. "Well then, I'd better get going. I have my own work to take care of; I can't be here spoon-feeding you all day."

Goku watched her leave. _She's not half bad... I see why Minato likes her. _All weariness gone, he jumped up and faced the Jonin. "Come on! Teach me!"

"All right, all right. Stand with me," Minato was excited as well. This was a first for him too.

* * *

Uchiha Mikoto had been depressed for a long while now. Being an Uchiha under the rule of a Senju-taught Hokage was trying most of the time. No matter how impartial Sarutobi Hiruzen claimed he was, it still did nothing to ease tensions between the Uchiha and the other villagers. They had 'graciously' been given their own enclosure to live in, a whole section of the village just for themselves, but any fool could see that it was simply a ruse to alienate the clan from all outsiders.

Even the elders now refused to care, preferring their own clan over others in all, distrusting almost everybody else. It hurt that none of Konohagakure's great warriors came from the Uchihas, despite their considerable individual battle skill. Even the three _Sannin _of legend were related somehow to the Senju, Tsunade being the _Shodai's _granddaughter and all.

This animosity had yet to reach a climax. No, no, it was safe to say the eruption of this discontent was still decades away. However, whatever good the _Sandaime _was doing to promote relations towards the Uchiha, the disrupting influence of his supposed right-hand man Danzo was still causing a rift to open up, souring all of his contemporary's efforts to appease those involved in this great misundertanding.

This affected the current generation deeply, as Mikoto had observed. Her mom would subtly try to make her play with only other Uchiha girls, using methods of suggestion. _"Why don't you stay here and play with Shisaki today? It's a long way to the main park, and it's sunny out..." _Statements like that would not appear suspicious, not in the least, but after careful observation, Mikoto had found out the games her parents were trying to play.

Sometimes she could see it in people's eyes; the mistrust gradually building, close friends eventually drifting apart. Even Kushina had started showing the preliminary signs of this change. The two had been inseparable all through the days in the Academy, and she used to tell her every small detail about Minato. Even when they started dating, Kushina would set time apart to visit and just talk and enjoy each other's company.

But this time, it happened. Kushina forgot to tell her about the kid, the day after he arrived. It seemed innocuous, at the time, but it was a first. She told her only yesterday and she didn't seem sheepish enough that she had left out such a huge moment of her life from their conversation.

She hadn't thought it would happen to her. _Not Kushina_, she had thought. But she had to face the facts. Even Kushina's invitation to see the kid's training seemed forced, like some sort of overcompensation. _Very well, Kushina._

So, she'd shown up, right on time, to this farce, which was going to do nothing to change anything.

* * *

She'd been pleasantly surprised. Here was a boy, who literally was an alien, commanding the respect and trust of his two teachers. But what surprised her most was that though he looked like an everyday thirteen-year old, admittedly with rippling muscles, he had an innate maturity and insight that only came with age and experience.

Every exercise he did, in those long training hours, he spoke to her. He asked her about her life, her family, with genuine interest. Everyone in the village was so irritatingly formal; it seemed like a waste to talk to anyone these days. But Goku seemed different, because he was. He was probably the only one who knew nothing about the Uchiha, nothing about the social ostracization.

He spoke to her like she was another normal person, and a rather special one, at that. He cared about every small thing she had to say to him, even if he could barely hear over the blood rushing in his head as he did another of those complex _katas _Kushina was teaching him.

She wanted to know more about him. This was a complete fresh start. No prejudices held Goku back. He was free, and she was going to make the most of it.

"Hey, GOKU!" She called out.

He stopped mid-sentence, and looked over. "Y-y-yes, Mikoto-san?"

"Do you mind if I join you for dinner today?"

Goku's face resembled an overripe tomato. "O-o-of c-c-course!"

"All right then!" she replied. "After your training, then?"

Goku nodded violently. It seemed like his head was going to fall off his neck.

This was going to be one serious training session.

* * *

_This kid is becoming quite the damn troublemaker._

Shimura Danzo was not happy. Not only had the boy come in unannounced, he had somehow convinced Hiruzen to change the strictest of laws, those set by the _Shodai _himself.

First, the background checks. Every refugee, or whatever the boy was, had to be given a highly thorough background check to see if he wasn't a part of some conspiracy, or some attempt at assassination or espionage. Hiruzen had taken the boy at his word, even volunteering to let the boy tell his own story, at a time of _his convenience? _Highly unorthodox.

Second, the part about him being added to the Genin three-man cell. The concept of three-man cells was ideal. Three was large enough to fend off most attacks, yet not too large to be unwieldy and out of control. Minato liked the kid; he would definitely favour him over the others.

As if these weren't enough, he was now familiarising himself with the Uchiha? Danzo had absolutely no love for that traitorous clan. Sure, they had their uses, but only as living, breathing, _Sharingan-_using weapons. This kid was showing great potential as well. What if he got relations between the Uchihas and the village to improve? _That would be a major disaster._

_The kid needs to be...exterminated. He's gotten too dangerous already. The more time I spend dwelling on this, more people will notice his absence._

_It has to be done, tonight._

The Uchiha girl having dinner with the boy gave the perfect timing. As he walked her back to the Uchiha compound, he could have her assassinated by Root personnel right outside. Perfect way to get the Uchihas riled up over false suspicion.

_All right, kid, it's your funeral._

* * *

**Whew.**

**That was one hell of a long chapter.**

**I'm completely tired after this long haul.**

**I'll keep updating as fast as I can, but no promises.**

**Anyway, what do you think? Two _Rasengan_ _Kamehameha_?**

**Yes, yes, _chakra_ and _Ki_ are different.**

**The Kamehameha, you ask?**

**This is just a question of terminology. That's what he chose to call it.**

**Cheers!**


	7. Encounter

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**_The author has graciously accepted to talk and answer your questions... Please welcome... WHOISTHISDAMNAUTHOR!_**

**Konnichiwa, everyone.**

**Something has to be said about the challenges faced when coming up with this stuff.**

**It's easy.**

**What, you thought I was going to rant about how I suffer and toil, so that this stuff reaches your viewing devices? How I...**

**_*Muffled struggling*_**

**_The author has experienced a technical glitch. In the meantime, here is the next chapter._**

* * *

**_Chapter 6: Encounter_**

* * *

"Here. You've seen the _chakra _patterns for this one; you try it out for yourself."

Goku was shocked. The _chakra _handling and molding intricacy for a simple _afterimage _technique... _Sheesh_._ Who would have thought chakra was so ridiculously tough?_

He wound his fingers, carefully yet clumsily forming the first seal, the tiger. It was still easier than the next four. He mentally recollected the names for the seals that Minato had taught him. He had taken the better part of the first hour doing just that. He could feel the seals guide his _chakra, _directing it to the particular _tenketsu, _as the required technique took shape. Every seal was a constraint on the nature of the _chakra, _and the order as well as nature of the seals determined its eventual form.

The last seal was the snake. As he twined his fingers together, Goku felt the abstract flow gain substance, gushing out of specific holes in his body, and taking the form Minato had just demonstrated a minute ago. As it solidified around the tree trunk specially kept in front of him, Goku felt a surge of excitement. His first _shinobi _technique was going to be perfect. Kushina would have no choice but to acknowledge his awesomeness; and a little swagger in front of Mikoto didn't hurt either.

_PFFT. _And as suddenly as it took form around the wood, the _chakra_ held for a moment, then disappeared. Exactly what should have happened, but the trunk didn't change shape at all. Instead of resembling a lithe, muscular thirteen year old boy, it resembled a tree trunk. And it did even that poorly, given that it _was _a tree trunk.

It was quite the anticlimax. Minato gave a knowing smile, one so patronizing and cheeky that the Saiyan felt like punching his nose in. But Mikoto was here, and all he could do after that sputtering failure was hang his embarrassed head down like a ripe tomato hanging on a plant.

"Don't worry, Goku," Minato said, his reassuring voice still not matching his smile. "No one learns this as fast as you are right now." He took a deep breath, and continued. "Let's go over the things required to create an image of yourself. One, the seals. They flow your _chakra _into the respective _tenketsu _required to form the underlying structure of the image. The next part, which you most likely forgot, is that you have to picture yourself in your head. This technique won't work if you don't use an image to create a likeness. So, this time, as you do it, picture yourself."

Goku nodded. He calmed himself, drawing out the rouge from his cheeks. He was going to do it perfectly this time. His hands formed the seals, a bit faster than last time. He was getting better at this. _Tiger, boar, ox, dog, snake! There. _His mental self-image was in place. The _chakra _flow solidified, and formed a perfect likeness of what he'd imagined. And only as the body replacement was fully forming did Goku realize his mistake.

The replacement was perfect, no doubt. It just wasn't him.

Minato and Mikoto both stared for the two seconds that Goku maintained the technique, and stared a whole minute after at Goku. For the body that had replaced the log was Goku, but also wasn't him. It was an estimate of what Goku was going to look like twenty years from now. And a ridiculously ambitious estimate at that. For he'd retained the spiky hairstyle and the clothes, and had somehow managed to make them larger and fit his adult body perfectly as well.

Also, his body was a hunk of chiselled muscle that made Mikoto shudder in awe. _Wow. That's some extremely good prediction..._

_Unless it isn't _Minato arrived at the same conclusion inside his head. No one was narcissistic enough to dream about their future selves in such formidable detail. So, that left only the simpler, more obvious, and most likely, correct explanation.

"You aren't actually a kid, are you?" Minato whispered.

* * *

Goku was not prepared for this. One simple oversight. He'd forgotten what he looked like, for a second. He still remembered himself as the older, almost fifty-year old man, with the extensively trained body, and the super Saiyan strength. His debacle with Shenron had messed him up inside, and now he couldn't even recollect how he looked at present. Not exactly his fault, but it was a mistake that he was going to rue for the next few hours.

He faced their barrage of questions without flinching. He braved every accusation of espionage, claiming to be innocent. It didn't matter that he actually was innocent. Now that Minato and Mikoto had gotten wind of this, they weren't going to let go. They pressed on every bit of his story, investigated into every other character he brought in. It didn't help that they had never heard of Master Roshi, Bulma, Krillin, or Chi-Chi.

After what seemed like a decade, Minato took a pause between questions that was much longer than usual. Goku was deflated, his entire past out in the open. It had been a tough ordeal to bring up friends and family that he would never see again, experiences that he would never share with them again, rivalries that would never get brought up again.

He was reminded, again, that he was alone. Truly alone. He hung his head, too tired and washed out to face his questioners. "I'll pack up my stuff and be on my way in a few minutes," Goku sighed. He didn't know where else to go, in this foreign land, but he knew for sure that he couldn't stay here.

"What are you talking about?" Mikoto's voice rang through his head. "Who said you're leaving? You are the most interesting person I've met in my whole life. The entire incident where you became a child again, the one about you coming here, I believe it! The whole of it!"

Goku raised his head and looked her in the eye. Minato was smiling again. This wasn't the irritating smile from a few hours ago. It was genuine.

"We understand that you need a fresh start to overcome your past, and to move on once and for all," Mikoto continued. "And this just means we're going to train you and treat you just like a Konoha _shinobi, _just like...us." Goku noted the slight pause. "So, stop crying, get up, and have that dinner with me, like you promised."

Goku raised his hand to his face, and gave a start. He _was _crying. _That's a first for me... _Wiping off his tears, he stood up. The stars in the sky seemed to be glowing a little brighter this evening.

* * *

Ichiraku's was closed for the day. Or rather, it was closing. The proprietor was about to shut down shop when his most profitable customer arrived. _I should give this kid some free bowls now and then... He's the reason I was able to expand from a tiny cart to this nice restaurant... All in three days. The Hokage footing the bill just makes it better._

Today, Goku had brought a guest. Minato was there, as usual, already looking nauseous at the thought of seeing another hour or two of mindless gluttony, but the other girl, well, she was simply smiling, walking next to his golden-egg dropping, only-ramen-eating goose.

Ichiraku started warming up, both the food and his muscles. Dishing out hot noodles at the rate this kid ate them was an A-rank mission in itself. He took deep breaths, hyperventilating for the high intensity ramen workout. _Let's give Onee-chan and Minato free bowls for today. I'll start with Goku's freebies from tomorrow._

"HEY! Dinner for Minato and you, miss, is on the house." He motioned to the gleaming seats right next to the kitchen. "Come, Goku! This time, I've done my training. I'm ready for whatever you've got!"

"OKAY! Hit me!" Goku replied.

Macho posturing done with, the chef quickly got down to business as usual, and his gleeful customer, having accepted the challenge with just as much gusto, started wolfing down noodles and hot soup like his life depended on it.

Mikoto quietly picked at her bowl, content to watch the thirteen year old indulge in one of the most nauseating experiences ever, and simply smiled. _So you really are older than you look. That's why I felt like you understood me. Also, the clean slate thing still holds, so I look forward to keeping your acquaintance, Son-kun..._

Minato silently ate his bowl with closed eyes, leaning slightly to his left to avoid collateral damage from the carnage going on to his right.

After the dinner, Ichiraku personally escorted his money-making machine out of the establishment. Minato let out a polite, muffled burp, while his protégé roared his belch out with no respect for etiquette.

"Well, I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Goku," Minato yawned. It was late, after all.

"All right!" Goku smiled.

"Just one thing." The smile was back. Goku stiffened, his primal instincts all tingling.

"How are you going to explain to Kushina tomorrow that you learned only one jutsu, and that too only partly?"

_Oh...Shit. _Goku shivered. "I-I-I t-t-th-th-thought y-y-y-you w-w-w-would t-t-ta-take c-c-ca-care of it, M-M-M-Minato..." he sputtered.

"She does expect you to have mastered _ten,_ does she not?" the smile broadened.

"Well... Y-Y-Y-You did interrogate m-m-me, so is-is-isn't it y-y-y-yo-your f-f-f-fault?"

"I'm not telling her about the interrogation. Your story will be our secret from everyone else. Until you want to reveal it, that is..."

Goku was stumped. On one hand, he didn't want his story to be spread around quite so early. On the other, the she-devil stood with her menacing grimace and her life-threatening torture.

"P-P-P-Please h-h-h-help m-m-me, M-M-Mi-Minato," Goku couldn't say one word straight.

"All right, all right," Minato let out a chuckle. "I'm just teasing. I'll tell her it's my fault." He didn't seem too comfortable either, judging by his nervous smile.

"Anyway, big day tomorrow! See ya!" Minato ran off towards his house.

Goku and Mikoto stood in the dwindling light, as Ichiraku actually closed for the night. "So, you want to walk me home?" Mikoto asked, her face expressionless.

Goku was crimson. "Yes, Mikoto-san, of course," he said, turning the other way to hide his burning face. It was happening. It was definitely happening. He had achieved it. What was next? Maybe tomorrow he would try to hold her hand...

* * *

**YEAH. RIGHT. Because holding hands is the epitome of romance in both these godforsaken anime. Do you know how hard it is to freaking add pairings into a couple of such childish pieces of ...**

***more muffled thuds***

**_We apologize for the inconvenience. The author will soon be brought under control. Till then, please. Read the story._**

* * *

"Follow me." Mikoto led him along one of the many alleys surrounding the junction where Ichiraku's was. Goku simply nodded and followed.

After a while, it became obvious that they were leaving the central part of the village, going further into the outskirts. "Where do you stay, Mikoto-san?" Goku broke the silence.

"My clan has a special enclosure, just for us," Mikoto said, the fate of the Uchiha running in constant repeat through her mind. She gritted her teeth. "The village thinks we're... special."

"But don't important and special people get to live in the center of the village? Like how His Eminence stays in that big HQ building or something?"

"We're special in a rather different way, Son-kun," She was dreading this part. She was going to have to tell him the tale of the Uchiha clan now, given that he'd shared his entire past with him. And that was going to alienate possibly the only friend she could ever have. "We're..." She caught him staring at her, blushing furiously.

"D-d-d-did you just call me _Son-kun_?" Goku managed after many, many pauses.

"Yes," Mikoto was confused. "Did you not like it?"

"C-c-could you call me that again, please?"

Mikoto was completely lost. "What do you mean, Son-kun?"

His eyes shone with new happiness. He simply shook his head, and grinned like a maniac.

"Nothing's wrong, Mikoto-san, It's just that... No one's called me that in a long, long time," Goku looked at her directly, and paused for effect. "Could... Could I call you Mikoto?" He added.

Mikoto let out a gentle laugh. "Of course you can, Son-kun..." there it was, again. The same shine in his eyes. Goku's face brightened, and he let out a wide smile. "Thank you, Mikoto," he managed through his goofy grin, "You've really gotten me out of worrying over Kushina destroying me tomorrow..."

Mikoto nodded. "You're welcome," She let out a smile as well. Goku had taken a load off of her mind too. There was no danger. Her past meant nothing to him. She needn't hold back because he was going to be her friend despite that. She could see that now.

A few seconds later, she stopped. They had arrived. The Uchiha enclosure loomed over them like a forbidden city. In the dark, the residence of one of the most fearsome clans in the world looked even more forbidding than usual.

Goku was astonished. "So _this _is where you live, huh? Kinda scary, if you ask me..."

Mikoto simply smiled. Goku had no idea about the crap that went on inside the four walls. It had crossed scary a long time ago. It was now bordering on horrifying.

"Anyway, thanks for coming all the way here. It means a lot to me," Mikoto said. "But I really need to be going now. It's late."

"Of course, of course." Goku quickly shuffled his feet, getting ready to leave.

Mikoto skipped over to the gate. "See you tomorrow!" She was going to tell him her story tomorrow. All of it. She was sure she could trust his friendship. Son-kun didn't look like he based his opinion of someone based on their heritage.

"You're coming to the training ground tomorrow as well?" Goku asked, pleasantly surprised.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she called out as she disappeared into the compound. Goku lingered for a few seconds, happily reminiscing on the day. Everything was awesome.

Even unicorns shitting rainbows wouldn't come close to the level of happy he felt then.

* * *

He turned, walking back to his apartment. As he flexed his thighs to start his parkour home, he heard a tiny rustle. It was a careful padded step, given away by a small dried twig in the wrong place. Usually, the noise would have been muffled into the background by the thick rubber soles of the sandals all Konoha _shinobi, _including those of Root, wore.

Usually. This small _crack _wouldn't have been heard by the best of the Jonins in Konohagakure, or even Goku for that matter, had there not been a slight tailwind that carried it to the Saiyan's ears. He immediately turned, using his forearm to push aside the dull black blade that was about to sever his carotid artery.

He reached to grab the arm responsible, but it was already gone. In an impossibly short time gap, another blade came towards him, from behind. Bending equally fast, he let the_second_ blade pass harmlessly above him. He knew that the momentum of the move would prevent the assassin to drag it down before he'd had time to slow down the blade.

But, suddenly, the dagger shot downward, towards his back. Goku rolled sideways, dodging the attack. _That's not possible, given the size and approximate weight of that kunai..._Kushina had been more than thorough with this kind of theory during his fifteen minute planks. _Unless it's hollow, _he reasoned. _A hollow kunai would allow that kind of maneuverability, and yet be sharp enough to deal significant damage. I need to tell Minato to make his Instant Transmission kunais hollow._

But enough of that. There were assassins on him, at least two, and he needed to escape to somewhere safe and open to fight them. Sprinting forward, he used his forearms to block the barrage of _kunai_ strikes, while also figuring out the shortest path to the nearest playground.

He caught an overhanging ledge, and pushed hard off it. That gave him some aerial time, to plan out his strategy. It would be a fair fight over open ground. He just needed to get there before being killed. The buildings were advantageous to his opponents. They could hide in any one of these innumerable eaves and corners, and attack all of a sudden.

He zig-zagged through windows and balconies until he reached the terrace level. Going into an all out free run, he outpaced the assassins, reaching the main village playground a whole hundred metres ahead of them. Skidding on the loose sand, he turned around, and winced. Kushina's training regimen had left him very weak physically. His entire body ached from the intense workouts; the _chakra _molding hadn't been a cakewalk either. He couldn't fight these guys in a drawn-out fight. It had to be short and clinical. He decided that he was going to use his _chakra _to win this thing. It was the one thing that he had ample supply of.

As the assassins came to the playground, Goku counted three in front of him. _This means there's at least one lurking in the shadows. _They were clothed with standard armor, and sleeveless jerkins underneath. They all had masks on, representing various animal faces. And, they all held those hollow black blades in their hands.

All this was standard ANBU uniform. Any normal Konohagakure _shinobi _would have recognized the attire. Then they would have most likely fallen to their knees and begged to be spared. The Root, the division of the village's Secret Forces under Shimura Danzo, was known for their aggressive assassinations, and powerful yet skilful coordination. They were known to never fail to execute a target once it was determined. Heck, Root members were themselves dismembered when they didn't do the job.

(_Just a little pun, cause this shit ain't done_)

Goku had no knowledge of any factions or secret services. All he knew was that three or more people were after his life, and he was going to fight them.

They silently attacked, and the only way Goku was able to stay alive was a quick and lucky succession of jumps and rolls. He didn't have the time to form seals, and his hand movements were too slow anyway. He was in a pinch, and he knew it. As he desperately dove to near-miss a killing thrust to the heart, he knew he had only one option. He had to use _that._

It was far from perfect, and he'd only managed to do it once before in a burst of anger, but he had to try it, or simply be killed by any one of these thrusts. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he concentrated. This was far from easy, even when he was relaxed and otherwise motionless. Trying it in actual combat so early, however, was a huge task.

He gathered up the required amount of _chakra, _and was about to start applying the rotation when one of the daggers hit him. It drove straight into his other shoulder. He smashed his teeth together to keep from screaming. The pain wasn't much, but it was some of the first he'd felt in a long time. So, even a simple shoulder wound felt like he was being ripped apart.

Somehow the _chakra _was still there, gathered in his palm. He drove the pain from his head, and started the rotations. Barely seeing the next attack with the corner of his eye, he turned sideways to dodge it, and felt another one of those damned blades shove into his calf muscle. He stumbled mid-turn and fell down, but still kept his mind on the task at hand.

Gradually, the _Rasengan _did finally achieve its complete form, but it was not before Goku had received another three large gashes on his arms and legs. He'd given up on dodging every attack completely. In his weakened state, it was impossible. He'd prioritized saving his vitals, and that meant sacrificing his limbs. He'd kept them from being severed, and had deep wounds to show for it.

But, the _Rasengan _was ready, and Goku merely waited for the right moment to use it. Somehow, the assassins hadn't noticed the ball in his hand, or had rather chosen to ignore it. Either way, it was going to be their undoing. Remembering how Minato had scared him the first time they met, he drove his index finger into the spinning vortex, destabilizing it.

As the _chakra _unravelled, it would explode violently, as Goku himself had experienced. Wincing at the pain, he used his wounded legs to jump up, and kept his left arm extended downwards. The assassins took note of the sudden motion, but it was too late. The resulting blast sent all of them flying backwards, rendered unconscious even as they flew.

* * *

The Saiyan himself stayed conscious solely because of the pain. The explosion had ripped open several slices on his arm, and, as he rose further up because of the blast, he forgot to get into position to land on his feet. He thudded into the ground, and it wasn't a picnic. His entire body hurt now, and his sore muscles from training only added to the pain. Getting up, he limped away from the scene, thanking his lucky stars that he was alive.

He shouldn't have, just yet. He'd walked no more than five or six steps when another one, the hidden assassin, made his entry into the messed-up scene. Goku stiffened, and drove his heels into the ground, sprinting away from the attack. He needed time to prepare another _Rasengan_, and after seeing it being used once, it wasn't likely that assassin #4 was going to let him charge up another. He was too weak to even partially dodge the blade attacks any more.

So he ran, preparing another _Rasengan _in his hand as his footsteps fell onto one random street, then another. He didn't know where he was going; he simply wanted to run away from the eventual possibility of death. He simply chose streets based on a single glance, not caring where it would lead him. Then all of a sudden, he was in open ground again.

He stopped, and looked around. The giant, imposing structure of the Uchiha enclosure loomed in front of his eyes. He'd returned to where he'd started. The _Rasengan _was ready. Turning around, he faced his opponent. He had one chance; and one chance only. He had to make it count. He took a determined step forward.

His body suddenly refused to move any further. He felt stuck, paralyzed. He couldn't even swivel his eyes in any direction. His chest felt constricted; he couldn't breathe either. At the bottom of his field of vision, he saw the _ninjutsu _that he'd been caught in. In the pale moonlight, a thin shadow extended from his opponent's feet over to his own. That was the thing keeping him in place.

The guy in front had the seal of the Rat, fingers of one hand draped over the extended index and middle fingers of the other. But now wasn't the time to dwell on the technique; it was a time to try and escape before it was too late.

He realized with a growing despair that the _Rasengan _had fizzled out. His only lifeline was now cut off. He was at his assassin's mercy. And Goku guessed that he had no mercy. As the guy advanced slowly, fingers still holding the seal, Goku realised that he was using a sizable amount of _chakra _to keep the shadow, and hence the paralysis, in place.

Goku struggled inside his invisible prison, struggled with all his strength. He saw his opponent flinch, just a little. But that was enough indication. Goku mentally writhed and thrashed, trying to get his nerve endings to fire, and to get his muscles to work. He was also fighting a losing battle with carbon dioxide, though; he hadn't taken a breath in a while. His fight got weaker gradually, and he soon slumped down, barely conscious.

The assassin advanced faster now, and as Goku's eyes glazed over with loss of consciousness, he saw that he had released his paralyzing technique. He had the hollow knife in his hands, and clearly he didn't even consider Goku as a remote threat anymore. Goku hated those who underestimated others, especially those who underestimated him. Flexing his chest, he took in a deep breath, forcefully returning to consciousness.

As his opponent started the killing thrust, Goku tried to counter with a rising punch of his own. But, a new tsunami of pain from flexing his wounded thighs and arms made him falter, just for the instant the assassin needed. The knife homed in, heading steadily towards Goku's heart. _I should just accept this as a life well lived... _He mused resignedly.

_I've had far more than my fair share of lives, I think. It just had to end someday._

The knife never descended. Goku opened eyelids which he never remembered closing. The assassin lay on his back, a whole ten meters from Goku, and a huge iron spear sticking out of his forehead. Goku's eyes widened at the gory sight. He'd never witnessed such a cruel way to die, and he couldn't help but feel pity for the poor assassin who had a sad fate._No one should have to experience this, or even see it happen._

He looked back at the forest surrounding the enclosure, right behind him, searching for the mystery savior, who'd used such despicable means to help him live. His entire body was fatigued, though, and his slightly blurry eyesight couldn't make out much in the sparse moonlight.

_Whoever that was, he is going to have to explain himself to me._

_Whenever the hell I find him._

* * *

As the stars shone over the sleeping village, muffled sounds of digging could be heard near its outskirts. As Son Goku made a grave for the dead assassin, a silent spectator watched from the foliage around. The Leaf village was aptly named. It had a wealth of hiding spots in the lush green broad-leaved trees scattered around the entirety of the settlement.

The spectator's eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Underneath them, a forked tongue darted out periodically, 'tasting' the scents in the air, sensing the environment around him. This time around, it simply told him that the surroundings contained no threat, a fact that he already knew.

For the spectator-cum-savior had eliminated the only malevolent factor in the vicinity this night. He continued gazing out onto the cemetery, as the boy continued digging. He saw the little twinges of pain he gave with each heave, as he flung out fresh soil from under the ground.

_An interesting specimen... _the spectator mused. V_ery interesting indeed._

Orochimaru was only interested in powerful, macabre, or altogether insane subjects. This kid, however, didn't fit the bill in any possible way. He actually exuded an air of benevolence, of caring, and was going so far as to respectfully perform the last rites of a person who was, just a few minutes ago, trying to end his life. He was the kind of despicable little cloying shit Orochimaru would keep as far away from himself as possible. But, somewhere, in that little, irritating boy's scent was the flavor of pure strength; a power far, far greater than anyone in this ignorant village could ever imagine.

It somehow felt depleted. It was an unknown force, and even Orochimaru could do little more than guess at its true potential. It seemed like it would be years before it eventually returned, though, and Orochimaru decided that he would carefully observe this kid until his power showed through. He couldn't let this possible opportunity slip through his fingers. Even the Uchiha's formidable visual prowess paled in comparison to this newcomer's potential for growth.

He watched as the boy slowly lowered the body into his grave, and filled it back. Patting the clay covering his fallen enemy, he dropped to his knees, grimacing away his pain. Folding his hands together, he said a silent prayer, possibly for the soul of the departed assassin. He gazed intently as he slowly got up and limped away, back to the apartment that the Hokage had allotted to him.

_Oh, this has just begun so perfectly. I cannot wait to see what you will become._ _I shall keep my eye out for you, child..._

_Just you wait._

* * *

_**We are happy to announce that the author has successfully been calmed down.**_

_**Since our programming time's almost up, we shall have only closing statements from our esteemed guest.**_

**I'm really sorry for my outburst from before.**

**It's just that... this stress builds up, you know?**

**At least you have my story to take your mind off it, right?**

**What do I have, huh?**

**HUH?**

**NOTHING BUT RANDOM STUFF FROM THE INTERNET? GANGNAM STYLE?**

**ARE YOU KIDDING ME?**

**WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?  
**

**VIDEOS OF TWO GIRLS...**

***Loud thump***

_**With that, we end our show. Do tune in next time for more from WhoIsThisDamnAuthor!**_


	8. Healing

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Nine months was quite the dry spell, but I'm making up for it now.**

**Super Saiyan writing speed, y'all!**

**6k chapters are shooting out of me like a Uzi compared to the musket-like days of old.**

**Here's hoping I can keep up the pace.**

**Anyway, enjoy...**

* * *

**_Chapter 7: Healing_**

* * *

_My body feels so heavy..._

Goku was trying desperately to stay conscious, as he walked back to his apartment. His injuries were beginning to throb continuously, and he'd lost a lot of blood. He glanced back, and saw a trail of it on the road. It dripped intermittently, like a leaky faucet, and seeped through his _gi _and into the dirt road. He limped on his right foot, trying to keep his balance. He'd received that calf wound on his left, so placing any weight on it was impossible. It was an effort to keep going, but he didn't want to pass out here and be a nuisance to everyone in the village. He just kept walking.

Memories flashed through his head, ancient ones. He remembered burying another fallen warrior the same way, and the fight that took place after that solemn burial. This time, though the rites happened after the big fight, and he was wounded much worse then as well. His mind still had to get used to pain again. Millennia inside that great big dragon had numbed his mind to all sensation, and reduced his immunity and threshold to such nerve impulses.

The training had made a huge difference, though. On his first day out of Shenron's clutches, Goku had been incapacitated by one blow to the back, which didn't even make a decent crater in the ground. Even Vegeta's snot was stronger than that attack. Now, he had been able to withstand a hell of a training day, a whole lot of _chakra _usage, and the mental torture of reliving through his memories, and wounds dealt by a whole quartet of assassins and their darting hollow blades.

_Their blades... _He was using one of them as a makeshift crutch to lean on when using his left leg. The blades were longer than he'd thought. They were actually short-swords for the adult assassins, but it was the perfect length for his barely-teen height. Hobbling along quite like Master Roshi, he reached his apartment complex exhausted, both physically and mentally. His wounds had stopped bleeding, but that was more due to dehydration than anything else.

He stumbled through the front porch into the hallway. He heard snoring from the room on the left. Kotonoha-baa-san was fast asleep. _What is it, like two in the morning? _Carefully, so as not to wake her, he tried to tiptoe up the stairs, ever so unfortunately forgetting that the muscles used most to tiptoe is the calf. On the second step, he placed weight on his foot, and the pain suddenly shot up to debilitating. Driving the sword down onto the stair, he tried to remove the source of his agony.

CRACK. The end of the sheath drove straight through the wooden stair, splintering the wood. Goku, in his pain, had underestimated his strength. The sound was like a pistol shot. Goku flinched, craning his neck back to see if the old landlady had woken up. Nothing. Just the regular snoring, like two sheets of sandpaper being rubbed against each other, came from the darkness below.

He extracted the sword from the broken wood, and ascended using its help, gingerly placing it on each step hereafter.

Back in his room, he bandaged up his wounds, using gauze from the first-aid kit that Kushina had wisely given him. _One of the rare moments that I'm thanking her, huh... _After he was done, he flopped down on his mattress like a dead fish, too tired to care about changing or cleaning up.

Sleep, however, was hard to come by. Even when so desperately fatigued, his mind kept bothering him. Those ten _jutsus, _nine, rather, were boring a hole in his brain. He was too tired to move, and in too contemplative a mood to fall asleep. The _Complete Ninja Handbook _lay right next to him. Using his non-injured hand, he lifted it to the light, and started studying.

_I can't have Minato take the blame for what was clearly my mistake. Let's see... Body Replacement Technique, Transformation Technique, Clone Technique..._

_THAT'S ALL? ONLY THREE BASIC TECHNIQUES?_

_Kushina wants me to do the advanced stuff by tomorrow? That slave-driving devil!_

He flipped through the last few pages. _Katon-Gokyaku no jutsu, Raiton-Kaminari no jutsu, Suiton-Suidan no Jutsu..._

These were all elemental techniques, and all prerequisites stated that the _chakra _needed to have a fire nature, or water nature, or lightning nature...

_Or wait. What's this? Chakra nature? Fire? Lightning? Water? I haven't learnt about this yet..._

He started memorizing the seals for the techniques with a frown on his could simply apply the nature part as and when Kushina taught him. While flipping through the book, a single sheet fell out of it, and landed on his stomach. Keeping the book aside, Goku lifted the page, and studied it carefully. 'Secret _ninjutsu _\- to be learnt for tomorrow' was the title.

There was a tabulated list of _jutsus_ that didn't need _chakra_ nature to perform at all. _Goku read off the first name. Kuchiyose no jutsu, _he spelled out from the script. _Hmm, some sort of summoning. It doesn't say exactly what gets summoned, so maybe we have to imagine it. That's so cool! I know, I'll just summon a snack! Some cup ramen would be heavenly right now!_

And the night passed by in a flash.

* * *

Shimura Danzou was both infuriated and pleased that night. On one hand, his four Root members had failed in assassinating a mere boy, with no actual ninja training at all. A godforsaken _thirteen _year old; who had single-handedly blown back and incapacitated three of his minions, and killed a fourth with quite the savage blow through the skull.

It wasn't like the kid hadn't gotten badly hurt; it would have been more than a miracle if he escaped unscathed. No, he was bloodied all right. And had left quite the obvious trail, all over where he was fighting. Outside the Uchiha enclosure, the main village playground, the cemetery...

But he'd done something unexpected. He had, quite respectfully, buried the corpse of his former assassin. That was unheard of, even from the most benign of _shinobi._ Although, the blood trail from the Uchiha compound to the grave gave a very tantalizing piece of evidence against that traitorous clan. Now, using the blood and the marks caused due to dragging the body, and adding another set of footprints leading right to the door of the enclosure, he'd staged the perfect crime.

Now that myopic Hiruzen would have to believe him. He had proof that the Uchiha had murdered a member of one of the peacekeeping forces of the village. If he spun it correctly, he could even make it appear as an outright act of rebellion, maybe even hint that they were willing to wage open war.

That was why he'd been happy, and not cut off the heads of those worthless nobodies who couldn't even kill a child. He'd graciously given them another chance, after beating them to within an inch of their lives. They had been reminded that another instance like this would not be tolerated. Fear was how Danzou stayed in control, and kept even hushed mutterings against him to a minimum.

There was just one more thing that bothered him. Why keep three alive, and gruesomely murder the fourth? _Did the kid have a psychotic fit? Maybe something related to suppressed rage? No, no. I think that the boy had nothing to do with that cretin's death. It was outside interference; someone desperately wanted him alive._

The manner of the killing showed that Goku's mysterious benefactor was both strong and serious. Danzou had been pushed onto the back foot, and he couldn't do anything to the kid until this unknown factor was accounted for. _Very well, stranger; I will hold back in accordance with your wishes. But the moment you slip up, I will be there with your blood on my hands as I go for the kid._

_You'd better watch your back._

* * *

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? HUH? ANSWER ME!" Kushina was livid.

"I-I-I s-s-s-slipped, K-K-K..." Goku stammered.

"WHERE? HOW? YOU INCOMPETENT IDIOT!" Deep concern showed in her ultramarine blue eyes. She was grasping his left arm like a vice, threatening to cut off the blood supply forever. Her other hand, was gently caressing his wounds, checking for infection.

Minato stood a little distance off, face foreshadowed with thought. Mikoto was also standing with him, keeping a solemn countenance. Goku felt most embarrassed by that. He'd made her worry about him. That was _not _responsible behaviour. But, a part of him was doing cartwheels inside his mind. _She is worried about me! Oh yes yes yes yes yes..._

"Who did this thing to you? Tell me!" Kushina was about to hold Goku in a strangling grip and choke the answer out of him, when she saw the black short sword dangling from his waistband. _Oh, my word. That's the sword the ANBU uses..._

She kneeled, staring right into Goku's eyes, and asked the important question. "Where did you get that sword?"

Goku was screwed. Bad mistake, that; bringing the sword and lying about his fight...

"I'm sorry! After I dropped Mikoto off at her house..." Goku faltered. Kushina being livid was something he was used to, but her raised eyebrow at him eliminating the honorific from Mikoto's name gave him pause.

"_Go. On."_

"Well, four assassins happened to come attack me," Goku heard Mikoto gasp. Minato started muttering something under his breath. Kushina released his arm, only to grab both his shoulders with the same crushing grip. Her eyes were calm and collected, despite the nature of the news. She made eye contact and maintained it. After a few silent seconds, she asked again. "The sword. Where did you get it from?"

"Oh, the assassin guys had them... I took this one from the one who died. I wanted to leave it in his grave, but it looked so useful, and I thought it fit me well, and..."

"CUT THE CRAP! You are sure that this is the _exact_ sword you found on your attacker's person?" Kushina interrupted Goku's explanation.

"Yes, Kushina," he replied, "It was his sword. He used it to attack me. Now, can we get back to training? I..."

"We have to go to the _Sandaime_ with this. We have to ask about this outrageous attempt on your life." Minato had finally decided to step up and speak.

"Yes. I'm formally putting your training on hold until we find out who's behind this," Kushina added, and Mikoto nodded in agreement.

Goku wasn't surprised. He had come to realize that attempts on someone's life weren't simply overlooked because the bad guys were beaten up. That wasn't how it worked here. His Eminence _(Or was it His Honour?) _was responsible for the peace here, not Goku himself. _The Earth's Special Z Forces don't exist here, doofus... I'm not the final authority on the law, and I definitely don't count for anything compared to His Excellency._

* * *

They turned and launched off, sprinting in that screwed-up way. _Who the hell runs with their hands behind their freaking back all the time? _He had tried that once before, and had fallen flat on his face after a couple of staggering steps. Goku merely shook his head, and followed. The bandages were done properly. He could move his legs and right arm as if they didn't exist.

What they didn't take away, though, was the pain. This probably was another training exercise from the great evil genius. _Kushina, you fiend! _This was directly related to her telling him the basic field-soldier drill in the beginning. A Konoha fighter, or _shinobi _as they were called, was part of military personnel. Which meant certain rules of discipline had to be followed. She had also briefly touched on the concept of three-man cells. The efficient number required to complete almost any type of mission.

While traversing the rooftops between the training grounds and HQ, Goku noticed Minato veer off to the right, stopping off at a standalone apartment, and knocking on the door. He sped up, gritting his teeth to fend off the sharp pains in his thighs, and asked Kushina, "Who is Minato calling upon, this early? Won't the person throw a tantrum right on his face?"

Kushina merely smiled. "I see your bad attitude towards getting up early hasn't still been beaten out yet. Interesting..." her grin cracked open further when she saw Goku gulp. "Anyway, he's gone there to personally call one of the village's great medical ninja to help you recover faster. It's quite the coincidence that you mentioned the word 'tantrum', though..."

Goku gulped again. "Does that mean... this person... actually throws _temper tantrums?" how old is he? Six? Seven?_

Kushina nodded, using her palms to clear theparapet of one rooftop, before taking a running jump over to the next one. "This person is known far and wide for her tantrums. Although, she is the village's best. Her name is Tsunade. You might want to remember that."

_Tsunade, huh? It's quite the pretty name..._

"Oh yeah!" Goku remembered why he'd wanted to talk to Kushina in the first place. "I learned the ten _jutsus _you asked me to..."

Kushina skidded to a halt some distance away from HQ. "How...How did you learn _ten?_" She gave him an astounded look. "I thought there were only three basic techniques in the book I gave you, and Minato said he didn't teach you a thing..." Goku ran a hand through his hair, enjoying the moment. Any chance to see Kushina flustered was worth its weight in gold.

* * *

**Figure of speech, people. Chances don't have mass...**

**Unless it's a fat chance... Heh heh.**

***WHOCK!***

**_apologises for this author's continuing bad puns and pathetic jokes. He has been sedated. With a baseball bat._**

* * *

"Yeah! I tried out a couple of stuff Minato's been showing me over the last couple of days..." Goku smiled sheepishly. As if he didn't realize how much he was bragging. "I got the _Rasengan _to work, and in my guidebook, someone had hidden a secret page..."

Kushina was already strangling her dumbfuck of a boyfriend in her imagination. It wouldn't be long before she actually did it, though... "What was on the page, _GOKU?" _she added an ominous tone to her voice, right at the end. So ominous, in fact, that Goku took an involuntary gulp, despite him completing the assignment.

"There were a few techniques on that... Something called summoning, one called Shadow clone _jutsu..."_

_Mother of God. Has Minato lost his mind? Why would he give a mere child forbidden ninjutsu?_

_I'm going to rip that piece of crap a new..._

"Let's go!" Mikoto was back, urging them on. "This is not news that we should be keeping from the Hokage-sama any longer than we have to. Come on!"

Kushina nodded, and took a running jump over to the HQ building. Goku followed suit. "This discussion of ours," Kushina shot a look at the boy. "It isn't over, get it?"

Goku nodded agreement. _I don't know what possessed you to give Goku forbidden, dangerous techniques to study, but, Minato, you've got another thing coming of you think you can get away with this. _They all entered through the side entrance. The village didn't know much about the new guy, and making a grand appearance wasn't the wisest thing to do.

Goku winced at the last landing. His foot had slipped on the rough floor, and his wound had opened up again. Blood soaked through the white of his bandages. He stumbled forward, and almost fell on his face. He limped over to the steps, and started climbing with his face scrunched up like a paper ball. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, gently but firmly holding him in place. He looked up through teary eyes, and saw Mikoto, with a concerned, slightly guilty expression on her face.

"You stay here, Goku," she said comfortingly," The Hokage doesn't need to actually see your wounds. He'll believe Minato and Kushina. You're obviously hurt badly. Come." She led him back down, and sat with him on the lowest step.

"Let's wait here for Minato and Tsunade to arrive..."

Goku nodded.

* * *

They both gazed over the landscape in front of them. The HQ building was in the rear side of the village, and there was a natural slope to the ground from there to the main gates. Thus, from the HQ, one could see the entire village laid out like a three dimensional map. The streets were laid out in a radial pattern, and they all ended at a ring road. The Uchiha enclosure lay in a district of its own, separated from the main village by a little distance. Development was beginning in the gap, but it still would be years before the Uchiha clan actually merged into the village properly.

Goku studied the sword he'd acquired. It was deep black, and the sheath had no decorations on it. It was almost straight, with a small curve imperceptible to most eyes. It had a grip like a _katana, _which was all black as well. Closer examination of the blade showed a perfectly concealed pinhole, probably from where the wax inside the hollow blade-mould had been drained off. Despite its interior being nothing but air, the sword was perfectly balanced, and very strongly built. It was a masterpiece.

_It's beautiful... _Goku mused. _I should train with this. It'll serve well as my weapon until I grow taller, and maybe even after that._

_I'm going to be a swordsman. After Trunks and Gohan. Who'd have thought that? You can't just write this stuff..._

"Let me see," Mikoto held out her hand for the sword. Goku gave her only the sheath. He wanted to hold it, to try it out. Gripping the strangely light blade with his left hand, he swung it sideways, like a slash. As he completed the stroke, he tried another one. A downward cut, straight through. He imagined an enemy being sliced right into half with this. His complete body splitting into two almost symmetrical halves, falling down on both sides of his blade in a shower of blood and visceral...

_OH GOD. _He turned slightly green as he tried to hold his breakfast of slightly soured milk and leftover cup _ramen_ down. _I really can't handle this... Just the thought of slicing someone up like that horrifies me...I'm going to have to train insanely hard to get over this inconvenient gag reflex if I'm going to be any good as a swordsman._

However, the hollow in the sword felt somehow... empty. (_DUH)_ Incomplete, to be precise. _Maybe if I just add something to fill it... _Concentrating, he molded some _chakra _and used the _tenketsu _in his palms to flow some of it into the sword. The sword suddenly dropped to the ground. Goku was surprised. His arm hurt like crazy, and his biceps were bulging. He couldn't budge it. It had become extremely heavy.

Cursing, he heaved again, with all his remaining strength. His tendons were rigid from the stress, and he felt the blade give a little. Suddenly, his strength left as another wave of pain arose from his recently reopened thigh wound. He dropped it, and it fell onto the paved street with a very heavy thud. Grimacing, he bit back a wild expletive as he saw Mikoto looking at him.

"You just used _chakra, _didn't you?" She had a stern expression on her face. "It wasn't a small amount, either. I could perform at least three taxing techniques with the crazy-ass load of _chakra _you poured into that thing,"

"Crazy-ass load?" Goku was surprised. "I don't even use half that much for a _rasengan,_" he said, eyebrows rising.

Mikoto shook her head. "I've seen your _rasengan. _Granted, you put in more than twice the amount Minato usually uses, but the sheer bulk you used now was much, much larger," she said, concern darkening her soft features. Goku suddenly realized his face was flushed. _Can't I even talk to her normally now? _But he knew it was not because of that. He raised his hand to his forehead. It felt a little warm. _Hmm... A fever? Just how exhausted am I?_

Mikoto saw him check his forehead, and quickly placed her palm on his head as well. He was burning up with fever. It was a wonder that he was lucid right now. She'd chosen intermediate medical _ninjutsu_ as one of her courses in the _Chuunin _academic programme. She knew that most patients with their body temperature as high as this were delirious, and usually kept flitting in and out of consciousness. Forget _chakra _molding; they weren't even capable of raising their hands to their mouths to feed themselves.

Goku wasn't even close to delirious. He was molding _chakra _like a pro after two days of training, and wasn't even the least worried that he should have passed out by now. He glanced at Mikoto, and her plainly worried face. She suddenly took his right arm in her hands. "Here, let me help with that." Goku saw her as she unwound the bandage, and gasped at the wound inside. She observed the damage with a critical, trained eye, and took a breath.

Suddenly, his arm was covered with a greenish glow. Goku shivered as he experienced the extremely weird sensations associated with healing. A process that usually took weeks was being fast-forwarded into the space of nearly a minute. Torn muscle fibre was rejoined, the tendons were reconnected, and the cracked bone was knitted back. Also, like a magic wand, his skin suddenly stretched, and covered his gaping gash.

* * *

The green light faded slowly, and then it was gone. Goku was amazed. The _chakra _flows he'd witnessed were no simple task. Intricate patterns were created from _chakra _extruded into tiny thread-like flows. There were successive such mosaics of patterns, and each performed a particular function. One part initiated cell growth, another directed that cell growth to where it was needed, and yet another held the whole tissue together in its eventual final shape until the two growing torn or broken edges rejoined seamlessly.

This couldn't be done to the entire wound at once. Separate parts had to be singled out, like the odd tendon here, the muscle there, and broken nerves in another place. Separate patterned flows had to be made, closed off into units, and then placed precisely on the injured area. Layer by layer, Mikoto had reconstructed Goku's entire arm. Nobody had advised her to take _Int. Med. Ninjutsu_. It was a topic only taken by those aspiring to be strong medical geniuses, or become professional civilian doctors.

She'd taken it for the sheer challenge the course presented. And now she was very happy that that knowledge was being used to help her friend in a time of need. She wiped large drops of sweat from her forehead, and smiled at Goku. "That's all I can do, I'm afraid," she said apologetically. "The other wounds are beyond my skill level by far."

Goku wasn't listening. He was looking at her with tears in his eyes. "You did that... very, very hard thing... for me," his voice was filled with gratitude. He held her hands in his own. "Thank you," was all he could say before beaming a wide teary smile that seemed to split his face. Mikoto couldn't help but smile too. They held those impossibly wide grins for a moment more, and would have kept them on for a further hour, if a certain Namikaze Minato hadn't cleared his throat loudly.

"A-_hem,"_

There was a blond woman standing next to Minato. She had long hair tied back in a single ponytail, held by a red rubber ring. Whatever couldn't go back framed her face in a pretty way. There were bags under her eyes; Minato had probably waked her up. Goku gulped. He'd forgotten how early in the morning his training began. Just because his _senseis _were awake didn't mean the rest of the village was.

She seemed more sulky than angry, though. She had a pout to her lips that made her look younger than she actually was. _She's probably in her early thirties, I guess... _Goku had the good sense to not say that out loud. "Are you Tsunade-san?" Goku ventured, as politely as he could.

She nodded, grimacing. She gave him a perfunctory look-over, and simply said, "Remove those bandages." Goku complied, slowly removing the white cloth from his thighs, abdomen and calf. "Now sit back..." She motioned for him to lean back on the step. As soon as his back touched the vertical part of the stone step, she brought her palms over his calf in a smooth, practised motion. The same green light glowed around his _entire _lower body, covering all his leg wounds at once.

The next few _seconds _were a crazed blur of pain, healing and _chakra. _Goku couldn't keep his eyes from blurring with tears as innumerable patterns overlapped and seemed to place themselves onto his wounds, like they were homing onto them. The torn parts didn't seem to reknit. They simply melted together, and voila, it was done.

Goku heaved a huge breath he didn't realize he was holding. Tsunade simply moved over to the next area, not even glancing up at Goku's face. Another blitzkrieg ten seconds later, it was complete. Goku tested his limbs, and stretched his abs. They were perfect. His body had broken a sweat, and it had caused the fever to break as well.

He was well and truly healed.

* * *

"Thanks a lot!" he said to the still pouting lady. "You owe me one, kiddo," Goku wasn't sure whether she was talking to him or Minato. She simply turned a full 180 and walked away. _Not much in the social sciences, huh? _His eyes drifted over to Minato. He was smiling as well. Mikoto was standing to his left, holding his shoulder in support. After a healing like that, bedrest was recommended. But this was an exceptional case, anyway.

Goku bent down, hesitantly trying to lift the sword off the ground. He curled his fingers around the hilt, and sword flew straight up as he lost control of it for the second time. He was expecting it to weigh a ton. But, after he stopped holding it, the _chakra _inside it probably seeped out and returned the blade to its normal, super-light form. All three of them looked upwards, watching as the sword became a black speck in the sky.

Mikoto gave a small strangled shriek. Goku looked at her, only to notice what was in her hands. The sheath. The sword had now become a deadly arrow that would kill anyone it landed upon. Goku snatched the sheath from Mikoto's transfixed hands, and sprinted forward. He caught up with the sword's forward motion in no time and was quickly overtaking it, when he realized that something was different. He was faster now, much faster. He was leaping over longer distances with less effort than before. His arms felt strangely stronger, and more agile.

_Oh yeah... Saiyan regeneration! _Goku remembered the Saiyan race's ability to get stronger every time they recovered from a deadly wound. He could sense the immediate improvement in speed. He sidestepped a particularly tall building, and sprinted down the main road. Looking up, he saw the black speck slowly resolving into the sword it was. Putting all his effort into cutting left, he took a sharp turn at full speed, quite like a car, and ran down an alley.

Alternating steps between buildings opposite to each other in the alley, he gained both height and horizontal distance. He was now merely a few feet from the landing site. Taking another superhuman leap, he jumped right off the roof of the building, and held out the sheath in front of him. The sword was growing in size quite fast now. It was going to come dangerously close to the ground in just a couple of seconds.

He jumped clear off a roof, and over the wide street below. He wasn't aiming to clear it. The sword dropped at a crazy speed, right into the sheath. It was a moment of pure swag. He felt the _thunk _as the sword slipped in, the impact of the guard of the sword hitting the rim of the sheath jarring his entire arm. He spun in the air, rolling to land squarely on his feet, in a kneeling position.

_That...felt...AWESOME!_

* * *

The village was just starting to wake up, people getting out of their houses, mothers and grandmothers stepping out to do their grocery shopping for the day, men both young and old raising the metal shutters of their shops... It was the perfect morning, and this warm-up was the perfect start to the day. Goku drew a few stares, but he didn't mind. He was healed, and the entire rest of the day had opened up for him.

He got up, and started his run back. From the market central, it usually took him twenty five seconds of parkour at his best, with a few chance open windows and alleys, to reach the HQ building. He knew immediately, though, that he was faster by far this time. Vegeta was proved right yet again. Goku was never happier about his Saiyan origins.

_Instead of training, I should simply get beaten up and have Mikoto heal me... _He mused. A smile crept up on his face, even imagining that scenario. Jumping over an entire roof, he skipped it entirely. He marvelled at the crazy increase in his physical abilities. He usually landed in the middle of that one, and took another step. A few adjustments needed to be made to his route the next time to account for this greater speed. Maybe some more time running down on the streets, a few larger, more ambitious jumps, and what else. Maybe he could refine Minato's _kunai _Instant Transmission with him now.

Taking his last sprint down the main boulevard of the village, he skidded to a halt in front of HQ. _Seventeen seconds. Whoa. _Tsunade had already left, and Minato and Kushina were heading up the side stairs, and into the building. Goku yelled out to them to wait up, and bounced up the stairs on light feet, taking them four at a time, sometimes even five.

"You seem... faster," Minato was the first to comment. Mikoto nodded in agreement.

"That's the thing. Where I come from, we have this special ability," Goku hadn't told them that he was a Saiyan. Despite his entire backstory being revealed, he had still kept this one secret to himself. He also hadn't mentioned that he used a different, currently depleted form of energy to fuel his attacks. That would come later. He had only known these guys for four days now. "When we recover from any injury, we get stronger. The more mortal the wounds, the stronger we get on recovery."

Minato gave a shrug. "I'm not even surprised at that anymore. You have some crazy skills there..."

"But that doesn't mean you simply get hurt like that," Mikoto added, her voice full of concern. She seemed happy that he was better. Her eyes were full of relief.

They had reached the main corridor. The Hokage's room was right in front of them. They could hear sounds of discussion from behind it. Kushina was already in there. Goku was happy that he didn't have to sit through the first few boring minutes, as they simply repeated the story. He usually arrived at the last minute, to save the day, or in this case, bring the important evidence as proof of their tale.

Minato turned the handle. He motioned to follow. Goku glanced at Mikoto. She looked at him as well, and gave a smile. Goku was grateful to Tsunade for healing him, but the only healing he remembered was Mikoto's initial one on his hand. It was a beautiful gesture on her part. One he would never forget.

_Someday I'll return the favour, Mikoto. Definitely._

* * *

Before Minato got the chance to open the door, it crashed open from the inside. As he was holding on to the handle, Minato flew into the room, and directly into his girlfriend, who was standing behind it. There was a nice thump as the couple landed in a compromising position. That wasn't too bad, until they held that position, for much longer than necessary. Mikoto and Goku averted their eyes, blushing. The Hokage, being the perverted geezer that he was, looked on with merely a raised eyebrow.

The two then realized where they were. Disentangling themselves from each other, they jumped up, and took a shaky step back, blazing red shades painted on both faces. Kushina shook it off, and suddenly started towards the door, again. "Come on. Let's just go."

Minato hesitated. "But..." Kushina whirled around. "It's not about that, okay?" she wasn't blushing anymore. "I just can't see that old fart's face again-_ttebane..."_

She rushed out of the room rather angrily. The remaining three _shinobi _turned to look at their leader, who didn't say anything. He simply rested his chin on the backs of his hands, with his elbows on his desk. He hid his eyes behind his large _Kage _hat, and said nothing.

Minato realized that Kushina had just had some sort of disagreement with the _Sandaime. _"Come on, Goku, Mikoto." He motioned towards where Kushina had just rushed off to. "We need to find her, and talk. The _Sandaime-sama _isn't going to tell us anything new. Let's split up and search for her."

They headed out of the door, Goku closing it behind him. "Later, Your Highness..."

And they were gone.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply sat there, his chin on his hands, contemplating what had just happened. How despicably he'd behaved with someone who had simply approached him out of concern for somebody's life. How he'd remained as silent as a stone as she ranted on about the serious injuries he'd suffered, about how four assassins from his own ANBU corps had attacked the child. How they had one of their _katanas _as proof.

Oh he hater himself right now. Hated the fact that he was allowing himself to be coerced into doing this. It wasn't an excuse, but Shimura Danzo had quite the broadsword hanging over his neck at the moment. He had 'requested' that the boy and everyone involved with him be kept in the dark about the real organizer of the attack. He had asked for complete silence on the matter. Otherwise, he would use the circumstantial evidence he had to completely turn the village against the Uchiha.

The blood trail from the enclosure to the playground and to the cemetery, the dead ANBU agent, the fingerprints of the new kid all over the body, and his close association with Uchiha Mikoto just days after his sudden, appearance into the village, with no backstory and no credentials...

Oh, it was bad. Danzo had gotten himself some insane, earth-moving leverage. And it was going to give free rein to plan more such dastardly acts against the boy, and Hiruzen would have to agree to them for fear of a civil war breaking out in the crucial time of peace and rebuilding after the disastrous Second _Shinobi _war. He was being forced to abandon Goku to his fate, and drop him in Danzo's vile hands for the sake of the village. It wasn't even much of a decision, really; the village's integrity always came first. But he didn't have to like the choice he was making, or rather being forced to make.

_Goku, I'm really sorry for placing you under the radar. But you must understand that I am being held hostage because of my responsibilities. It shouldn't have happened, and I have no excuse for my actions. Perhaps it is time for me to step down as the Hokage. But Minato isn't ready yet, and Danzo would simply convince the elders of that. So, he'd assume the post if I vacated it. That simply isn't an acceptable outcome. So, please forgive me, Goku, for I'm bound by my own weakness._

_I only wish you the best, and hope you survive everything until I wrestle control back from that vile man._

He looked down at the files again, at the three Genins he was handing over to Minato in another three days. _Let us simply hold still, and pray for the best._ A quite un-Hokage like thought, but then Shimura Danzo was no ordinary mastermind.

_Take care of him, Minato..._

* * *

**This is going so well right now...**

**Ideas are flowing very nicely, and I think this is shaping up to be quite the epic-length story it will eventually be.**

**I'm going to keep riding this surge until it runs dry.**

**Working on the next chapter already, as I upload this.**

**By the way, thanks for all the reviews. It helps to know what you guys think.**

**Cheers.**


	9. Graduation

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**That took a little longer than expected...**

**But anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Graduation**_

* * *

"As soon as we exit the building, we should split up and search for Kushina." Minato had taken charge as soon as the trio had left the Hokage's chambers. They found the red-haired Uzumaki sitting on the same steps Goku had just gotten healed on a few minutes ago. She seemed unsure of whether to leave or to wait for her boyfriend and protégé.

As the three approached her, she simply stood up and walked on. Minato had a worried look on his face. "What happened in there, Kushina?" She simply gave a resigned chuckle, and continued walking away from HQ. Minato sprinted and caught up with her. He held her by the shoulders, and turned her around to face them. "What the hell happened in there?"

She averted her gaze. Clearly, this was something that she both wanted to and didn't want to tell the three. Minato sighed. She would tell him eventually. She always did. "Explain yourself whenever it is possible for you to do so. Anyway, we need to continue with Goku's training,"

_Bad idea... _Mikoto and Goku both thought in unison. Minato wasn't there when Kushina had found about the whole _ten __jutsus _thing.

"_Speaking of training," _The dead-eyed stare from before was gone, replaced with a menacing _I'll-kill-you_ look. "What _jutsus _did you teach young Goku here? I specifically asked for_ten." _She said that last word as if spitting it out. Clearly, ten wasn't the number Kushina was ever expecting.

Minato gulped, although he had no idea what was going on. "I taught him one, Kushina..." Her glare continued, and its ferocity didn't budge an inch. "Okay," she continued in the same deceptively calm voice. "So to make up for your incompetence, you give him a list of secret, _forbidden ninjutsu? _Are you out of your mind?"

"I did not do anything of the sort!" Minato replied, his temper rising as well. Girlfriend or not, the woman had had her quota of crazy for the day. "I _did _teach him only one _jutsu_yesterday, and told him I could cover for him..." the last few words came out in a strangled whisper, as he realized what he was _actually _saying.

"_Cover...For...HIM?" _Even _Goku _took an involuntary step back. But Minato didn't move a muscle. The look on his sad, sad face clearly showed his intention to run as far away from the spot as was possible. "You, his supervisor, were going to help cover up his mistake-_ttebane?_ What in the world possessed you to do such a thing-_ttebane? _Is pampering his cuddly little _chweet_ face all you're good for-_ttebane?"_

_Three –ttebane suffixes in a row. Not good. That last dumb-ass line I just had to say totally pushed her over the edge. Oh, this could go on forever. _Minato had already tuned out the frequency of his girlfriend's voice. Suddenly, he flinched. _Please, please do NOT let this go on forever._ He suddenly noticed the silence around him. He paused his mental visualization of the transporter _kunais _and returned to the real world.

Kushina was spaced out, muttering something under her breath. All her three companions strained to listen. It was very unclear, but some words she usually stressed while speaking were audible. _"...placed...intruder...watching...Hokage..."_

Shaking her head, she turned to face Minato again. "Come with me. We have to discuss this. In private." Minato was happy to have escaped a tiring, one-hour ordeal. He followed, and they disappeared from the staircase they were just standing on. Goku and Mikoto simply stared. Being ditched was never a good experience, but not even involving the guy this was all about? _Sheesh._

"_In the meantime, go train with that new-found sword of yours, runt..." _Kushina's voice drifted lazily in the air, as if somehow brought here by _chakra_. _"Mikoto, you are his overseer for the day. Make sure he gets good enough with that blade to kick some serious ANBU ass."_

* * *

Goku looked over at Mikoto's surprised face. Kushina handing over her precious charge to someone other than her boyfriend was amazing in itself, but that she'd trusted an Uchiha? He saw what appeared to be a single tear of joy rolling down her cheek. _Crap, does she look cute right now..._

The moment passed. Mikoto rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, and turned to the Saiyan. "Race you to the training ground?"

"Oh, let's call it a _race, _if you want..." Goku was casually confident. He'd beaten every one of _Kushina's_ set goals. He wasn't losing to her any time soon.

"Ready? GO!" there was no _Get!Set! _there. And with that, the Uchiha was in the lead, leaving Goku in her dust. He coughed out the last remnants of the cloud, and decided to experiment a little with his _chakra. _Slowly walking, he gathered his _chakra _at the bases of his feet. As soon as his foot was about to leave the ground, to take a step forward, he sent out a little from the _tenketsu _in his heel. He had released it at the wrong time, though, for his heel was parallel to the ground. All that pressure pushed his leg upwards, driving his own right knee into his face.

Face crimson, he searched the street for witnesses to his full-retard moment. There was a single one, a boy about his age. His gray hair stood up in about the same way that Goten had cut it. He was also wearing a face mask, covering his mouth and nose. Only his crinkled eyes, and his hands holding his shaking sides were enough to know that he was laughing his ass off.

Goku ignored him. Taking extra care this time, he gave the _chakra _thrust at just the right time. His foot went forward, like he was running at top speed. Instinct took over, and he was sprinting away on one of the streets radiating from the HQ, jubilant after learning a new skill all on his own. Clearing his mind, he focused on his rapidly moving legs, and the road in front of him. Applying a series of well-timed _chakra _pushes, he increased speed drastically. His face felt dragged at the sides due to the wind flowing against it.

A wall approached, and he didn't jump to scale it the normal way. Sprinting, he simply placed his toes on the surface, and kept his heel parallel to the ground. Bearing down with all his weight on the toe, he shot a burst of _chakra_. He flew upwards, and cleared the building's facade, ending up on the rooftop. Taking another leap from there, he cleared two whole buildings, landing easily on the third.

_Interesting. This will save so much time, if I simply use enough power to lift myself off before I reach the building, and simply jump over it altogether. _Super sprinting _(Yes, that's the name Goku has in his mind...) _over to the next structure in front of him, he kept the sole of his foot at a forty five degree angle, and pushed. He sailed well clear of the top, and was almost over the building when he caught a glimpse of Mikoto's back, a good three hundred meters away.

_You can't win, Mikoto. I'm one step closer to actually flying now. _Adjusting his route to jump over buildings he usually had to run around, he shot past Mikoto's slender frame in five seconds, long-jumping off the last building before the training grounds started, sprinting like a madman over the grass, and skidding to a halt before the three training posts.

He figured that in the future, as his running speed and _chakra _control grew, he would have to keep refining the distances that he ran along the ground, and those he spent traversing the skyline. Sure, once he got fast enough, there would be no need to keep up this tiresome calculation. He would simply go aerial, because the view was better from up there. A bird's-eye view of the village was a spectacular sight to behold. Especially early in the morning.

_Ah, the joys of youth..._

* * *

Mikoto had also arrived. Goku noticed a flash of movement, and spun around, already trying to anticipate the attack. The _kunai _in her hand missed his shoulder by a distance, as he continued his spin, putting his foot out to try and get her to lose balance. She jumped up and forwards, dodging the tackle, and grabbed the blade with both hands, driving it down at his heart.

_CLANG! _There was the sweet ring of metal against metal, as Goku drew his shortsword in the nick of time. Holding it awkwardly, like one would a stabbing dagger, he'd only partly taken it out of its sheath, enough to deflect the _kunai _with the inch of blade right next to the crossguard.

Taking a step back, Goku changed his hold on the hilt, bringing the entire blade out. Lowering his stance, he concentrated, taking deep, measured breaths. _This weapon is nothing but a part of my body. An extension of my arm, that's all. My right arm has simply gotten longer, and has somehow gotten sharper. I must fight my normal martial arts with that in mind._

This was simply psychological training. All he had to do was pretend the sword was his arm, and everything would be all right. As Mikoto charged a second time, now with two blades, he replied with a jab with his right fist. Mikoto staggered her approach, bending to her right to let the blade pass her head, and threw one of the _kunai, _again aiming for his vital organs. _Okay, simply bring down your arm to fend off the attack...OH CRAP! _Pain throbbed through his forearm. The blade was simply an afterimage of the first one. Mikoto had used the time he needed to block the fake _kunai _and come close, and had landed a hit.

Goku took another step back. Mikoto relaxed a little, just enough to notice. Goku suddenly placed his foot front, like a video running in fast rewind. Holding his sword with both hands, he swung with all his strength, in a horizontal strike. Mikoto smiled. _This guy is like a little child. He's never handled a sword before. This is all instinct. Not bad, but one needs to use brains to fight with a weapon, unlike taijutsu._

Ducking under the arc of the sword's motion, she neatly tapped the fulcrum of the move with her _kunai. _She saw Goku's eyes widen as he suddenly lost control of the sword, letting it slip out. _Anyone can break an amateur's grip like that, no matter how hard you hold the hilt. Looks like I'll have to teach you more than the basics. But first things first. I'll totally own you in this little match._

She took a step back. There was no danger to a retreat, Goku was fumbling in mid-air to keep his blade from flying into the nearest tree. He desperately drove his arms down, and the tip of the sword dug into the ground, stopping it. He took a moment to adjust, and hefted the _katana _right back up. Mikoto was impressed. _No hesitation, I see. Oh, it'll be fun taking you down a peg._

* * *

Goku was struggling. The blade was unwieldy and crude in his hands. He'd never felt so helpless during a fight before. Of course, he could chuck the useless _katana _and whop Mikoto's ass with his bare hands, but what was the challenge in that? Kushina wanted him to learn swordfighting technique, and he was not going to invite another lecture on incapability onto himself.

Mikoto smiled. _Is she planning to use this handicap I gave her to the maximum? Of course, she's Kushina's stand-in for the day. Unless I eat dirt at her feet, she won't consider it over. _All of a sudden, there were two more blades in her hands. And two more. In the gaps between her fingers, she held six _kunai. _The dexterity with which she'd removed them showed that she was adept at this sort of stuff.

Goku gulped. He was clumsy and ineffective against one. Mikoto made a sudden motion, and two of the blades headed towards him. He lifted his blade, but it was a little too late. Considering it an extension of his arm had made him dismiss its negligible, but still existent weight. The _kunai _grazed his forearm, and he winced. He managed to dodge the other one by the skin of his teeth. Following the blades with his eyes, he saw as a hand materialized around both of them. Mikoto had gotten behind him in the meantime. He jumped to avoid the twin uppercuts. Mikoto threw her blades at him again.

He writhed and contorted his body, much like a cartoon character, to let the two weapons through. Twisting upwards, he craned his neck to see what lay behind him. He wouldn't be surprised again. And yet, he was. Mikoto was up there, and she caught the _kunai. _Now, attacking with all six, she thrust with spiked hands. Goku brought up his sword, and the blades clinked as they were stopped by the black metal.

Goku landed awkwardly, and had no time to react as Mikoto started a ferocious combo offensive. Throwing four blades upward, she attacked using the other two. Goku managed to counter one with the flat of his blade, and sent the other flying out of her hand with the hilt. In a moment, Mikoto jumped and caught two of the blades she'd thrown upwards. Rolling, she landed up behind Goku, aiming for the base of the neck. Goku desperately blocked it with an off-balance thrust of his sword, behind his back.

The speed with which she recovered from a failed attempt was impressive. Chucking the two she was using right back up, she jumped to catch another pair. This gave Goku a moment of respite. He fired up his _chakra _circulatory system, and launched upwards. As he approached Mikoto's spinning form, he used his upwards velocity and thrust his sword. She casually blocked it with her _kunai. _Pumping a minuscule amount into the hollow in the blade, he pushed a little more. The extra weight drove the tip of the blade right into the_kunai, _shattering it.

Mikoto's eyes widened in shock. She reached sideways and picked up another _kunai _from the ones around her. _She must be using chakra to keep them up there... _Suddenly turning, she held both her hands out, and swung both blades around. This time, Goku was ready. He gripped his sword like a vice, turned to get a good angle, and swung down, his blade perpendicular to Mikoto's two. At the last moment, he poured his _chakra_ into the hollow. The blade was heavy. The insane momentum drove it clean through both the _kunai _like they were so much air.

As the sword continued on, Goku cut off the _chakra. _It was too late, however, to stop the swing. The sword flew out of his hands as he lost his grip for the third time that day. It drove itself into the trunk of a tree a good twenty yards out. Mikoto smirked. Catching the last two of the six _kunai _in the air, she pinned Goku to the ground using her torso, and held one at his throat, and the other at his heart.

"I win..." She exhaled deeply. Both of them were sweating from the exertion. Goku nodded, accepting his defeat. He still had a ways to go with his swordmandship, but, given his training rate, he figured he could at least have the basics down before the next three days were up. His eyes met Mikoto's, and lingered there. She seemed... _triumphant._ With just a little hint of _impressed _on the side.

_Looks like I wasn't a total loser, then..._

_"A-HEM!" _Both of them started violently. Kushina and Minato were back. Mikoto flashed a little victory smile. In the midmorning sunlight, with godrays filtering through her deep, black hair, she seemed like a surreal vision, a breathtaking spectacle. Goku then realised what he was just thinking about. He reddened like Chi-Chi's face when she was angry. _Why, Dende? Why this?_

_Well, I guess everything has a price, doesn't it?_

* * *

"So..." Kushina had regained her former demeanor. "Sword practice. Without a sword, too." Her right eyebrow was raised, just a fraction. Mikoto and Goku simply stared, not getting the reference. Kushina rolled her eyes. _Oh my god. You guys are denser than my retard of a boyfriend. Goku, I expected this from you, but Mikoto, even you? Maybe a little less subtle. And by little, I mean I may have to shove it in their faces. Let's go in stages. Let's see at which point they finally get it._

"In that position?" Both continued staring like so many dead, extracted eyeballs.

She tried a little more direct. "In _THAT _position?" Mikoto looked down. And grew vermilion. Goku, as expected, was still ignorant as fuck. Mikoto scrambled off him, and stood up, unconsciously smoothing the front of her skirt. Goku simply got up, and asked like the ignoramus he was. "What do you mean, Kushina?"

She said nothing. Just gave a resigned smile. Goku knew all too well what that smile meant. It meant _give up, you ain't gonna get this shit. _He went over and plucked his sword from the tree it had lodged itself in. Mikoto suddenly spoke. "Also, Goku, the thing where you cut my _kunai _in half was pretty decent. The rest of your swordplay, is utter crap."

"Wait, cutting actual _kunai _in half?" Kushina gave the training ground a detailed lookover. Her eyes widened when she saw the pieces of the standard issue blade given to Konohagakure _shinobi. _It was made of one of the hardest steel alloys known to mankind. Nothing could simply _cut it. _Goku obviously had done something out of the ordinary again. Maybe there was a trick to the ANBU sword that only its members were let in on. Some way to make it sharp enough to cut through that kind of metal, with the swing speed of a_reasonably_ ordinary human.

_So, either Goku's not a standard human, or the blade has something special, and he's figured it out. _"Goku!" She called out. "What did you do when you cut Mikoto's _kunai _in half?"

"Nothing!" He replied back. "I just put some _chakra _into the hollow of the sword. It becomes unbelievably heavy when you add _chakra _to it, so it could cut through both of Mikoto's blades at once..." Kushina was shell-shocked. Until now, the only purpose of the hollow that she could think of was maneuverability. For a thirteen-year-old with practically no experience to figure that out, simply through instinct... _Goku, you are one scary fella. No wonder Danzo's gotten his sights on you._

The _Sandaime _had used his usual cipher when telling her about Danzo's involvement in the attack on the kid. Without a doubt, Danzo had access to that conversation, and as soon as the Hokage had used one word lightly out of context, Kushina knew her role. She would keep asking questions to which Sarutobi Hiruzen would give inconclusive answers to, and pretend to get frustrated and storm out of the office, as if she hadn't even gotten a tiny bit of intel from him. Danzo knew about the cipher, and he would give Hiruzen a nice time in hell for that little indiscretion, but he definitely did not know that Kushina had secretly learned the code in one of the dusty old textbooks in the Academy library. How the hell Hiruzen knew that she knew, she had no idea.

Anyway, she'd told Minato about the danger to Goku, and he'd laughed. "He survived one attack, and learned ten new _ninjutsu. _Don't you think that gives him enough protection? Or are you going to sleep in his room and guard the _widdle_ baby?" Oh, he'd been severely reprimanded for the condescension, but she took his point. Goku could handle himself. And there was always his mysterious benefactor, the one who speared that last assassin. So, there was no need to give him another guardian angel.

The only thing that they could do now, was wait. And train. So they had returned, and found the pair on top of each other. Literally. Kushina dismissed that thought. Mikoto was far too sensible for _that._ "All right!" She pointed her finger at Goku. "It you versus me, runt..." His pained expression said it all. Cracking her first smile in the day, she pulled out eight_kunai._

_Let's play, my dear student..._

* * *

_What did I just see?_

Tsunade rolled over onto her other side, then gave up trying. On most days, sleep was hard to come by for the blonde genius. Today, however, it was impossible. She'd just healed what appeared to be a normal thirteen year old boy. But, one thing about his anatomy simply refused to leave her thoughts. One _little _thing.

The kid had a tail. A freaking tail. As was her habit, she'd done a preliminary structural analysis of the kid before healing him. Standard medical practice, so that any differences in anatomy would not be overlooked and healed incorrectly. She had only woken up and come because she owed Jiraiya's damn student a favor. She'd simply brushed over the larger lungs, stronger heart and more flexible muscles as good genes, but the tail had plucked her right out of her drowsiness.

She'd seen experimental humans before. Orochimaru was especially proud of his... 'playthings', as he called them. This tail, though, did not seem like one of his creations. It was something he would never do. Fusing humans with reptiles, amphibians, maybe even the odd fish. He would never go for a monkey. He found their very existence an insult to nature.

_So this tail is... Normal, in a way? _She'd found that a little hard to digest, but it was the truth. This kid Minato had somehow found in the forest wasn't human. He was definitely a different species. The rest of his body was perfectly normal, except that it seemed suited for combat in every way. No structural defects, perfect bones, increased lung volume, stronger heart muscles, and just the most exquisite set of teeth she'd ever seen.

Tsunade had kind of regressed into a shell since that _disaster. __Nawaki... _The name still brought a tear to her eye and a tremble to her lips. She hadn't gotten over the futility of his death, and the simple step that could have been taken to prevent it. _Oh wait. Didn't I have a meeting with Sarutobi-sensei today? _She got up and checked her calendar. The date was encircled by red marker.

She quickly checked herself in the mirror. _Crap, I look like an old lady already..._ Entering the bathroom, she splashed her face with water, and grabbed a piece of toast lying on the kitchen counter. Taking a bite, she opened her front door for the second time in that day, only the second time in weeks. _Who'd have thought a random kid with a random emergency would help me like this?_

She wasn't a believer in fate. Oh, that had flown out of the window when the _Shodaime's _charm had caused her beloved brother to die an unnecessary death. But even she felt a sort of confidence in her that had been suppressed all these dreary days since the Second Shinobi War. Although she would never admit it, some part of her felt that the kid had brought about a positive change just by being there. Closing the door behind her, she rushed on towards HQ. The Council was waiting for her proposal.

_I'm definitely going to talk to you again, boy. Seems like you've given me something to live for._

* * *

_Drip...drip...drip...drip..._

Sharp.

Metallic.

Oh, _so_ alluring.

"_AAAAAAARGH!"_

He ran a hand across the body beneath him. He couldn't help it. He shivered, the excitement welling up inside him, erupting all at once. The pale man bit down on his lower lip. Not being able to hold it in any longer, he descended with a _hiss, _sharing in his victim's ecstasy as his teeth sunk into flesh, ripping a chunk out. He drew back, the sides of his mouth stained red now.

"Ah, ah...I can't have you collapsing so soon...stay with me...sssss_sssstay with meeee..._"

The creature named Orochimaru suppressed the shiver yet again. He frowned, when the broken man in front of him let out a weak whimper. "_Stay with me!"_

The light seemed to dim around him. The stench of the pool of corpses that lay around him seemed to have no effect on the pale creature. He simply stared at his _subject_ with an adoration that seemed out of place, painted over the face of his.

"_Stay with me...Stay with me...we are not done yet, my friend...tell me...open your eyes...What does nine hundred and seven reduced from ten thousand leave?"_

_"N-N-nine...thousan-"_

His subject seemed to experience a fresh wave of willpower, as he tried to get the answer out of his mouth.

"..._-d and ni-ni-ninety th-three."_

_"...**Very good**_."

"_No...no...not that...please...**no...I told you, I TOLD YOU THE ANSWER! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-MMPH**._"

The pale creature smiled, as the snake slithered out from under his wrist, and slowly slid inside the man's mouth.

One second.

Then two.

_Splurch._

With a sickening sound, the man's innards exploded. The pale creature smiled, as the snake made its way out of the thick, bloody waste that was left.

Sharp.

Metallic.

Oh, _so _alluring.

Above all else...more than _anything_ in the world, the pale creature loved the smell of blood.

_Speaking of blood... _There was another sample that had caught his interest. The little goody shit had quite the exquisite stuff running through his veins. Regeneration of a altogether different type, one that could be paired with Hashirama Senju's little buggers to produce the ever-strengthening body.

The snake flicked its tongue, tasting the slick substance on the floor. Oh, the very scent of blood sent shivers down his spine.

So tantalizing, oh, so sweet.

He extracted a surgical blade from his waistband. He always kept one of these beauties at hand, lest the urge to mutilate someone strike him at an odd hour. He could make do with a _kunai, _but those things were so messy, crude and useless. Nothing beat the precise cuts this made.

Nothing even came close to the level of physical torture he could exact using one of these, and nothing else.

He had a petri dish prepared. The boy's cells had to be properly diffused into the Senju tissue. It was a perfect replica of a human calf muscle, only smaller. taking the blade into his thumb and forefinger, he made an incision about halfway up. The already contracted muscle tissue split apart, like a stretched rubber band being slowly cut into.

He placed the blade in a sterilizing solution, and it went back into the folds of his _haramaki. _No need to waste good steel blades. Stealing more from Tsunade's ever so awesome collection would arouse suspicion. He looked at the muscle.

Hashirama's cells had already started regenerating the tissue. However, there was something different about this. It was generating far, far more cells than usual. Instead of simply healing the wound to its previous form, it was _building _on the muscle, strengthening it. His dead snake-eyes gleamed with ecstasy.

What had formed was an improvement of the original, as if injuring the tissue and then subsequently healing it was a good thing. He'd found the perfect improvement to the _Shodai's_cells. The cells he'd managed to harvest from the few drops of blood were far too few to cultivate on their own. He needed samples.

_Which brings us to the most exciting part of the day._

He had found a new plaything. All he needed to do now, was to bring it home, and _play_ with it.

He picked up the small muscle. It had grown quite a bit. The blood that had escaped when he cut it still lay splattered on the reformed tissue. Lifting it to his mouth, he licked it off. Then, in a sudden motion, he dropped the piece of meat onto his tongue. It slid back, taking the piece with it.

Sharp.

Metallic.

Oh, _so _alluring.

Orochimaru simply loved the _taste _of blood, as well.

* * *

_Right. Let's get this over with._

Hatake Kakashi was not someone who enjoyed socializing. Or any human interaction at all. His entire life revolved around one thing; training. The only reason his grades were far, far above even the self-proclaimed geniuses of his batch in the Academy were because of his own hard work and perseverance. After what had happened to his father, he had resolved to never break a single guideline in his life. He followed the rules strictly, upheld them in front of everyone, and treated those who broke them with much greater disdain than he usually showed the rest of the imbeciles in his batch.

Seriously. Everyone in his dope-retarded batch deserved to die.

As he walked down the road to the training grounds, he held in his hand his only treasured posession. The first copy of _Icha Icha Paradaisu, _Jiraiya-sama's first novel. Oh, the glorious make-out scenes, the dashing foreplay, the bold locations... _Hurry up and write a sequel already, old man..._

People gave him suspicious glances as he crossed the main market district. As the son of the infamous White Fang, he was treated with mixed emotions. Some still existed who gave him sincere smiles, acknowledging his father's efforts. Most shunned him, muttering under their breath about _betrayal _and _treason__._ He didn't care anymore. He'd decided to live his life on the damn straight and narrow, and he was going to do just that.

* * *

At the team selection meeting at the Academy a few days ago, he'd stayed in the far back, avoiding eye contact, and drawing his mask up, giving off a hostile aura that no one dared to encounter. There was a designated five-feet circle around him where no one had the balls to sit, forget converse with the gray-haired topper. As he'd run his eyes over the class, he did what he loved best. Judge everyone sitting there with a cynical eye.

_Oh, look at that pretentious bitch. Kurenai, you aren't that hot. Get over yourself, _he mused, ignoring the sudden flutters his heart gave when he saw those red eyes, perfectly matching her lips...

He had nearly put a kunai through his own skull at that point. _Damn. She's too hard to even judge._ Moving on, his eyes scanned the room for potential scapegoats. And latched on to the biggest show-off of all. Sarutobi fucking Asuma. _Just because your daddy's the village top brass doesn't give you a free pass with the ladies. You and your retarded specially-fashioned blades. Who but the Hokage's son would be so spoiled as to get his own custom blades? I doff my cap to your uselessness._

Moving on. Oh, his favorite victim. Maito Guy. _Oh. Tough 'Guy' thinks he can become something without chakra molding, huh? Newsflash, bozo. On your side of the fence, the grass ain't green and the girls ain't pretty._

He felt quite pleased with himself. He'd inflicted what he thought was some serious burn on three dumbfucks who deserved it. He caught someone staring at him. _Oh god. _He fought with his gag reflex as he saw who it was. _Guy... Why is GUY staring at me? Oh, kami-sama, the humiliation..._

"And Team Seven will contain..." the _sensei's _voice cut through his mental rant. "Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi looked up. Even though he didn't _really _care, he was a bit interested in seeing which two fools would he have to cover for in the missions they were forced to undertake together. "Nohara Rin."

_Okaaay... That isn't actually half bad. _Rin was one of the few, two, rather, who didn't look at him with a gaze that said _just go die already. _Quite the contrary. It almost felt like... happiness? He was getting the same vibe from her at that moment as well. _I think my life as a Genin won't suck too bad._

"Uchiha Obito!" Kakashi's head hitting the wooden desk resonated through the classroom. _WHY HIM? That bumbling, clumsy-ass fool? _He got up in protest. "_SENSEI! _Why is he in our team?" He ignored Obito's indignant pout and Rin's widened eyes.

The overworked Genin instructor let out a humongous sigh. _Can't I just get a B-rank mission where I get killed or something? Why does every batch have to have such eccentric personalities? Sandaime-sama, I'm retiring. _"If you would sit down, Hatake-kun, " he said resignedly, "I don't think I need to explain to you why teams are made with balance as the main objective? You being the best in the class, and Rin-chan above average, it was only fair to put in Obito-kun." He gave a disdainful glance at Obito. "The worst in our class."

Everyone in class snickered. Obito had hung his head down in shame, and Rin was looking at him with guilt. Kakashi himself felt a little bad; the _sensei _didn't have to put it quite that way. But, that sympathy was gone in a flash. _I'm in the same team as OBITO? Just kill me already and be done with, kami-sama._

And, here he was, a few hundred meters from the training ground. Their _Jonin-sensei _was busy with other pressing matters, so he couldn't meet them ahead of their actual orientation day. He'd called them to the training grounds at eight A.M. sharp. _Well, I wanna see for myself exactly how stuck up in work this Minato-sensei really is. Well, if he turns out to be a loser as well, then I'm returning my forehead protector and going back to freeloading off of Kotaro-jii._

_Screw graduation. I want a challenge._

* * *

He reached the grounds at exactly one minute to eight. He reasoned that any half-decent _shinobi's _watch couldn't be more than one minute fast or slow. Slow being in his favor, he reached one minute early to account for the fast. Rin-chan was already there, and so was Obito. She gave him a too-sweet smile, clearly signaling something other than them being simple acquaintances. _Come on, Kakashi. You've read that make-out novel too many times. That's not how it happens in real life. Or does it? Hail to the king! Jiraiya-sama!_

Obito seemed a little torn between longingly looking at Rin-chan, and dully staring at Kakashi. _Hmph. Now MY day is ruined as well. Thanks a lot, loser._

As he approached, he heard rustling behind him. _So your watch is right on time, sensei. _As the sounds got closer, he discerned two separate footsteps. He didn't turn around yet. That wouldn't be sweg enough. From the slow steps of one and the faster ones of the other, he guessed that the _sensei _was bringing in another kid, around the same age as the three of them.

As they got closer, he could hear another faint sound. Straining his ears, he fought to catch enough of it to figure out what it was. He heard a soft chime, and a rattle. _Bells. Hmm. Two of them. I can only think of one purpose he specifically got TWO._

He opened his eyes, and looked at Obito's stupid grinning face. A small smile curved his lips. No one could see it, though. _(Because of the mask? Forgotten who Kakashi is?)_

_So I guess it's goodbye, Obito-kun._

* * *

**Whew. Another long haul.**

**I'm going for consistency here. Keeping all chapters in a steady 5.5-6.5k range.**

**Liked the Orochimaru part?**

**I feel that telling the same story from the viewpoints of many characters really gives it a sense of completeness.**

**Expect more POVs from various supporting characters.**

**Goku is still the protagonist. That won't change.**

**Peace out.**


	10. Trial

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**To all the Kakashi fans reading this, better make sure you're already in a good mood.**

**Because this will make you feel much, much...**

**Better.**

**Hah!**

**Read on and enjoy.**

* * *

**_Chapter 9: Trial_**

* * *

Son Goku was thrilled.

Frankly, he was surprised his heart hadn't exploded yet. Everything had gone his way since he'd come here. It wasn't much different from what he was used to, back home, but still. Being a thirteen-year-old again, in this village with its myriad intricacies, mysteries, and colourful people, was a hell of a lot of fun.

_Oh, the people. _He loved every one of them already; the old landlady, Kotonoha-_baa-san_, and her irascible attitude towards all of her tenants, or _'whippersnappers',_ as she called everybody except him. He loved the various street vendors, selling different kinds of vegetables and whatnot, each greeting him with a cautious but heartfelt smile every time he went there.

He especially adored the grocery store owner, Mikazuki-_san, _who always had his crate of instant _ramen _packets ready every evening at eight. It was quite unbelievable, how a child so small could eat so many times his own body volume, but his training left him with a hole inside which still refused to go away, even after the mindless gluttony.

He loved the training most of all, the adrenaline surging through his body, pushing every muscle to its limit, not caring where the power to move the next huge boulder was coming from. He also enjoyed the free dinners at Ichiraku's. The dude had installed a _ramen _extruding machine now, and had hired three apprentices. His business had really taken off. All within a single _week._

Goku's parkour times were at an all-time best, and he was getting ever so close to the insane levels of fitness Kushina expected of him. Market Central to HQ in twelve seconds, and his apartment to the training grounds in fifteen flat. Kushina had actually _clapped _for that last feat, and as the Saiyan had blushed, she'd ordered five thousand push-ups as punishment for slacking off.

His body was growing well. He felt stronger with every plank, every _kunai _drill, and every complex seal combo he performed. His mind, too felt almost completely clear, with only a few fading ripples from that incident even budging the surface of his consciousness. His _chakra _control still needed some work, as did his _jutsus_.

He wasn't nearly as prodigal as he expected. This wasn't something that could be learnt in a matter of three days, despite him trying his best. Goku brushed that thought away, like an errant fly.

_Not nearly as prodigal as he'd expected._

That gnawed at his conscience a little, but he had pushed to the recesses of his mind, to dwell on another day. Today was the day he fought.

As he walked beside Namikaze Minato on their way to the meeting with the three Gen...gen..._genins_, _Whew. Finally got it right,_ he couldn't wait to test his skill against those who'd been receiving training to be ninjas since they were old enough to walk. Sure, Minato and the girls counted, but they didn't use their full array of _ninjutsu, _always saying it would be too much for him to handle.

So far it had been. He could take on any opponent face to face in a hand-to-hand battle, but when it came to the kind of manipulation these guys used, he was useless. So, he had been salivating for his chance to prove himself among those his own age and nearer to his own rank. Which was nothing.

* * *

As the lawns came into sight, the gentle downslope of the road till the trees let Goku have his first sight of the trainees. Suddenly, a flush of red crossed his face as he saw the one standing a little apart from the two. He was the kid who'd seen Goku knee himself in the face. It definitely had not been him at his best, to put it very lightly. He definitely didn't want Minato to find out about it. He wasn't facing them right now, so Goku had a few seconds of time to think of a decent alibi for that moment of shame. He was racking his brains, as they approached close enough.

The grey-haired kid's face was turned away from him, but he could see the corners of his mouth; his grin must have been freakishly wide. _He knows! _Goku was at his teeny-tiny wit's end. There was no backing out of this now. "Uh, Minato..." He began. Grey-spikes turned, and his eyes widened in shock. Goku wasn't what he was expecting; that was clear.

The sound of the bells seemed to punctuate the silence. Goku was planning to ask Minato on the way over about what those bells were for, but there hadn't been an opportunity. _Guess I'll have to find out at the same time these three do... _He mentally smacked his forehead. _Stop raising yourself to a special level! As far as the village is concerned, I'm a bigger nobody than anyone else. Rather, I AM nobody._

Grey-spikes seemed aware of what the bells meant; he was gazing at them with an almost malicious intent. As Minato paused for effect, Goku felt his heart rate rise in expectation. This was going to be a perfect morning.

* * *

Minato took out a sheet of paper, from a pouch on his flak jacket. It was hard to locate which; the entire thing seemed to be made of zippers and bulges. Unfolding it, he read out three names. "Obito Uchiha... Nohara Rin... Hatake Kakashi... are you three, I presume?" They nodded. Minato's face took a sudden turn for the worse.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Care to say something out loud this time round?"

The three couldn't give any less fucks. "Yes," they replied. Goku felt a dark aura emanating from the person on his left. Shuddering, he turned his head, and broke out in a cold sweat. _Demon _Minato was back. There was no mistaking it. Those deep blue eyes were like glowing embers, and the two canines that were seen from under his curved lips seemed oddly sharper than usual.

_"I...still...did...not...hear...you."_

Clear prolonged enunciation. Another sign that Minato's Vesuvius was about to explode. And the three kids in front of him were buried up to their necks in Pompeii's dark soil.

Somehow, when Goku looked over towards them, he wasn't expecting _exactly _that reaction. They all seemed rather..._bored, _like they didn't care about their _Jonin-sensei's _anger one bit. The masked one rolled his eyes, and screamed, "YES!"

The other two followed suit. Minato looked a little mollified, but he wasn't pleased with the eye rolling either. "All right," he continued. "The three of you must be feeling quite proud of yourselves, aren't you?" Hesitant nods followed.

"Don't be."

The vicious, spat out words made the children start. Suddenly, it hit the girl and the other kid. They began to understand their situation. Goku remembered the angry look Minato had had in the Hokage's chambers. As far as he knew, two of the three were getting jingle bell enemas that day. _Two of the four, _he reminded himself, stifling a large gulp. This wasn't going to be a good day.

Not at all.

"I will proceed to make you three little shits rue the day you ever thought becoming a _shinobi _was an achievable thing," Minato continued, every syllable coming out sharp and crystal clear. "When I'm done with you three, by the time you even muster the courage to write the Academy's test again, Hell will have long since frozen over. You should have already realized that probability has played a cruel trick on you, a cruel trick indeed."

Everyone else except the grey-haired kid had already gone white. Konoha _shinobi _were generally of a very kind, genial nature. Would-be _Genin_ were usually treated strictly, but fairly. This kind of random threatening was unheard of, even with the worst of _Jonin-sensei. _Kakashi, however, was more than used to great hatred. For him, someone threatening to kill him didn't even register anymore, forget random, vague insults.

* * *

_Yeah, yeah, just get it over with, dude. You aren't scaring anyone._

Hatake Kakashi glanced contemptuously at the idiots losing their minds over some random angry ranting. _Well, not me, at least..._ He pulled back into focus. "Your job is to take these two bells from me by any means necessary. I definitely don't think anyone will succeed anyway, given your utterly pathetic... Oh, let's call them _abilities," _Kakashi didn't really care about this, but Minato's speech had become annoying. He could see the Rin and the imbecile getting irritated as well.

_At least we've got that in common. _The gray-haired genius simply wanted to get this out of the way, and continue on with his training. He knew he was destined for the ANBU, where all people with similar familial situations ended up. The cutthroat world of Konoha's espionage agency awaited him. Naturally, one realizes that simple, useless things like competition between peers and such shit never mattered.

_I'm rooting for that knee-in-the-face kid. That way, I wouldn't have to bear those insufferable acquaintances of mine. _Almost as an afterthought, he added, _maybe Rin isn't so bad, after all..._

He gave his opponent a cursory look-over. Minato, at first glance, seemed like any other Jonin; calm and confident, with an aura of _chakra _seeping out from every _tenketsu _in his body. But Kakashi guessed he was more than that. The Hokage wouldn't put two of the best students in this year's class under this guy for no reason. Clearly, he had a great deal to teach them, if they got past his stupid, angry side.

_Wait. WHAT? _He hadn't noticed it until then because he hadn't given a damn. The kid next to Minato had a similar aura. That amount of _chakra _seepage usually did not occur unless a person had more _chakra _than he knew what to do with. _So, the kid has massive chakra as well._

Still, it was hard to assign any serious attention to the kid in general, after that incident. But, he noticed the sword hanging at his hip, and how naturally he wore it. It seemed like a part of him, almost like an appendage. His hand seemed like it was ready to draw and decapitate in an instant.

His chances were looking better by the minute. Anyway, ol' Minny was done with his dramatic monologue, so Kakashi readied himself for a fight. Rin and _whatshisname _seemed alert as well. The kid had taken a _taijutsu _stance, though it was extremely anticipatory and defensive for Kakashi's liking. _If you want to be a coward, be my guest._

_By the look of things, you'll still get a bell._

* * *

Minato was standing in the most open, clearly provocative position. Even the imbecile could see the gaps in his obviously-fake defenses. His nickname was justified; the dumbfuck attacked. Without warning, he rushed forward, sidestepping alternately to the left and right. As he approached, he suddenly created a clone, changing his direction of motion to create the illusion that he'd vanished. Kakashi fast-forwarded the scene in his head.

The retard would reappear to the left, given the step he'd taken right before he created the diversion. Judging by his sprint speed and the time his clone would last, his position of attack would be around the edge of Minato's peripheral vision. It didn't even pass as mediocre. Minato would simply have to block the direct _kunai _to his face, and return with a nice cross counter that would leave Obito sprawled on the ground. _Perfect._

Obito didn't throw a _kunai. _Thinking uncharacteristically, he sprinted radially inwards, torso already lowering to dodge the expected punch. That wasn't bad, even Kakashi had to admit. _The retard can think, just a little bit. Nice. But that'll only end up in giving him five more seconds of consciousness. One easy rising kick to the jaw will end it here, anyway._

_"RASENGAN!"_

The full force of the attack hit Obito in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He slammed into a tree at the edge of the training area, after travelling almost a hundred meters straight. He peeled off of the trunk, and fell limply to the ground. That was probably it for his chances to ever get back up again for the next week, forget fight for the bell.

Kakashi stared, eyes popping.

_What the fuck just happened?_

* * *

Minato held his position for a while, deliberately sending a message to the remaining three. His fierce, smoldering eyes clearly said _I'm not going to hold back one bit. _Rin had taken an involuntary step backwards, and her mouth was open in a soundless scream. The other kid seemed less flustered, but his expression too was one of surprise. _Even he hadn't anticipated this..._

They could still see Obito's back in the distance. There was a rip in his shirt. The Uchiha emblem had been ripped off by the remnants of _chakra _from that attack. With an effort, Kakashi took his eyes away from his fallen teammate, and turned back. His pupils dilated in shock.

Minato was on him. Kakashi suddenly felt extreme pain spread through his entire abdomen, as his punch landed directly on his solar plexus. His breath was driven out of his lungs. He took a faltering step back, gasping for oxygen. Minato didn't even give him that chance. Taking a step forward, the _rasengan _already forming in his other palm, Minato looked like he was going to finish him off. Literally.

As the attack approached, Kakashi's eyes noticed the _chakra _patterns. They were a swirling ball of chaos, the motion of each particle too random to observe with any clarity. He prepped himself for pain. A _lot _of pain.

The attack never landed. Kakashi forced open his eyelids; he didn't remember closing them. Standing in front of him was _Rin. _The very girl he wanted out of the competition. She had deftly used a series of _chakra _infused prods to naturally dissipate away the energy that kept the _rasengan's _shape intact. Without that critical centripetal force, the entire thing simply fizzled away into nothingness.

Nohara Rin had saved him. Probably with no expectation of anything in return. He had observed her quite a bit from a distance. She always seemed like the kind of character who would do that. What surprised him was that she was willing to do this for him. In the depths of his mind, Kakashi felt...something. An emotion he'd never experienced. It was somehow familiar, yet completely unknown.

_Am I..._

_Grateful?_

* * *

Goku watched the whole catastrophe occur from quite the perfect viewing angle, yet his body was frozen. Too frozen to act; too frozen to defend those innocent children from his teacher's crazy misdirected anger. As he finally got it to act, heading towards Minato with a careful, measured approach, he realized that today was going to be a game of survival, and that there might not even be two winners left at the end.

_Just what are you playing at, Minato?_

Goku watched Rin, as she let out an exhausted breath. She had to be exhausted; dissipating that much raw power without so much as a whiff of it being felt by the boy she was defending had to take a huge effort. Minato's hands moved, and Goku noticed to his horror that he had produced fifteen floating, custom-made _kunai _out of his jacket's many pockets, and was ruthlessly about to strike.

Goku didn't need any more incentive. Two _chakra _infused steps took him right next to the duo, and he already had his black blade in his hand. Minato started. The barrage was harder to face than anything he'd seen before. It was like Minato had held back ninety percent of his power when they were training together. This was a new, overpowering series of attacks.

Minato had a blade coming at him from every opening he could find, and three or four more from random, premeditated areas, where he predicted the Saiyan was going to be in the next moment. Goku tried his absolute best, but to no avail. He realized how out of his depth he was. He felt exhausted with every block, every single dodge sapped his strength. This was Minato at his best, so it didn't come as a surprise that his body's physical limitations chose to reveal themselves in this fight.

Goku took a slight pause from gazing continuously at the blades, and looked into his _sensei's _eyes. Something seemed _different _somehow. He wasn't sure exactly what, but the glint in Minato's eyes sent a primal wave of fear through his spine, jolting him into action. As he dodged the next few attacks, he couldn't help but enjoy himself. Being tested to this extent reminded him of happier times. He remembered his _(first) _childhood.

Through the haze of his jumbled memories, he remembered how it used to be. Training under Master Roshi, fetching the special stone with Krillin, beating General Tao after learning the secrets of the Holy Water from Korin. Oh, those were the days, when he fought to prove himself, fought with his life on the line against opponents who wanted the same things he did. There was no true villain, no random megalomaniac blowing up planets just because he was a sore loser. It was exactly like his last week here, or rather his last week here was exactly like those times.

But before he knew it, things began to change, too gradually to notice right away. As his enemies got stronger, they also got more and more cruel, with dastardly motives which disgusted him down to his soul. Retarded villains kept popping up, ready to do anything, _anything _to get those seven wish-granting spheres. And some even more retarded villains who came with the sole intent of killing him. As if a stupid grudge mattered that much.

_Heh, pathetic._

He was very happy to have been given this chance. Despite all that, and discounting the fact that he had become a lot better in the last week, it was impossible for the Saiyan to keep up with one of Konoha's fastest in what was definitely one of his weakest forms. The _kunai _kept coming, and Goku quickly started tiring. His parries got clumsier, and, all of a sudden, the status quo was broken.

A lazy, half-hearted counter was all it took. Minato channelled three _kunai _at the badly positioned blocking arm, and slashed with a fourth and fifth at his unguarded sword arm. Minato's three pronged weapons drove clean through sinew and muscle.

Goku drew back, wincing in pain. His arms fell limply to his side, and the black blade dropped to the ground. The Saiyan did not like this at all. This continuous stream of wounding battles was starting to really get on his nerves. Despite the dire situation, or maybe because of it, he let out a chuckle.

Nostalgia seeped into his consciousness; he remembered laughing just like that.

Just like that, so many, many times.

So many ruthless, powerful enemies he'd put away, _just like that_. And now, he was being humbled by someone whose strongest attacks couldn't even begin to compare with the feeblest of what he used to be capable of. As he bent down to duck under the horizontal twin slashes of _another_ two_ kunai, _he couldn't help but marvel at the irony of the whole situation.

He'd predicted that the current attack pattern would culminate in the next move. As Minato brought one _kunai _vertically downward, a_ rasengan _already in his other palm, Goku realized enough was enough. He'd been behaving quite oddly this entire time, at least as far as his fights were concerned. He'd left the impression of a large, untapped potential, just lying under the surface, only diving into that pool on occasion.

That had kept Kushina and Mikoto's interest in him from fading away, and had also kept them from realizing just how really strong he was. He always showed off an improvement proportional to his training, no matter how much stronger he'd actually gotten. This had been his general rule of thumb for the first three days. But afterwards, the glaring holes in that strategy began showing themselves.

First, his improvement after that slowed drastically, until he sometimes had to train alone in his room just to keep up with the gradient he himself had set in the beginning. Also, Kushina had realized what was happening. As a consequence, Goku's training over the last three days had gotten even more back-breaking. Goku enjoyed it deeply, but also felt a growing regret that he wasn't even matching his own diminished standards. He still loved tackling the challenges head-on, but they now left a bitter taste in his mouth.

It really wasn't his fault. A body that had atrophied for God only knew how many millions of years could not be brought back into shape at the snap of a finger, with a wave of a magic wand. He was still far, far behind in his training, and the very fact that he had allowed himself to get into such a position, giving Minato the chance to finish it, was an indicator in itself as to how profoundly helpless he was at the moment.

As he saw the pincer combination of _kunai _and _chakra _closing in, the internal strife and turmoil came to a head. He gave up the feigning, gave up caring about the impression he was creating on everybody else. Holding his hands in the all-too-familiar pose, he concentrated, using sheer willpower to thrust open more _chakra _conduits, and used some of it to move his lifeless arms, like a deranged puppeteer. Forcing the _chakra _through the _tenketsu _in his hands instead of letting it seep out on its own, he practically flooded the substance in between his palms.

As he was adding the required rotation, he looked up at his opponent. To his horror, he saw that he didn't have the time to complete his _Kamehameha. _Also, he couldn't move his arms an inch. The attack was too unstable at the moment; any mistakes would lead to an explosion that would affect him far more than it would Minato.

His eyes moved frantically, searching for something to defend himself with. They suddenly caught the dark glint of his sword, right there behind him. _I didn't think I'd have to use it at all, forget it being practically what saves my life. _He moved his tail, sliding it out. Before it came free of his lower garment, a shriek distracted him.

_"WATCH OUT!"_ It was Rin. The sudden noise allowed Goku's focus to slip. The blade was on him, up close. It was at his chest, and was about to pierce his heart. The _Rasengan _was already at his abdomen, _chakra _ripping through his skin. Goku felt the pain rise; from an irritating itch to full-fledged agony. As it began to become unbearable, Goku experienced a sharp weakness crash over him, along with a sharp tug. Someone was holding onto and pulling his tail.

With another strong pull, Goku was yanked right out of the trajectories of the attacks. He landed on the ground rather roughly, and skidded a little on the grass. His injuries weren't severe enough for him pass out entirely, but he closed his eyes anyway.

_A minute's rest won't be a problem, I guess._

* * *

Uchiha Mikoto couldn't believe her eyes.

What she'd witnessed was not possible. Not in a million years. Namikaze Minato had gone crazy. She remembered the grudge he held against the Hokage for this stupid assignment, but the Minato she knew would never go so far. This was beyond harsh. This was pure torture. She couldn't bring herself to watch any more of these poor children suffer. But she stayed right there, petrified, because of Son-_kun's _condition.

He'd specifically told her to not interfere at all, no matter what the situation. That was his exchange for her coming in secret and watching his trial. She'd agreed; because at that time, there was nothing she could foresee that would need her to show herself at all, forget interfering. She was sure Goku would get a bell, and achieve it in such a way that even his defeated opponents would applaud. For that was the kind of fair person her Son-_kun _was. She felt happy and comforted by his mere presence. This was quite the contrast to the dark, shrouded eaves of the Uchiha enclosure.

Something didn't feel right about Minato's eyes. They had a rather unnatural glint, one of pure malice. Mikoto knew that the yellow-haired Jonin wasn't capable of such an emotion. Activating her _Sharingan, _she searched him for signs of _Genjutsu_ usage. She found one almost immediately. It was placed in the most obvious place, right in the _chakra _flows around the temple. This gave it easy access to the mind, but it was just as trivial to detect.

_Impressive. Truly impressive. _It was as if the user had simply ignored the limits that were usually present on _Genjutsu. _There were two conditions for _Genjutsu. _One, it could not be used on someone who had deliberately stopped their _chakra _circulatory system. Second, there was a limit to how much mind control you could have over a person while simultaneously keeping their fighting abilities intact. This one broke that limit like it was nothing. All of Minato's mental and physical abilities were at a maximum, and it seemed like the mysterious user had complete control of his free will as well.

She shook her head. This wasn't a time to be playing _'Who just beat the Sharingan?'_ just yet. Son-_kun _needed to be saved. He was out of danger for the moment, but who knew what Minato could come up with next to decimate the three hapless children. But... she did have to keep her promise not to interfere.

_Please, please get this over with._

_Somebody save him!_

* * *

_Oh, this is brilliant. Simply brilliant._

The feeling of the unmolded, raw _chakra _pouring out of Goku, as it washed onto his face, was pure ecstasy. Orochimaru darted his forked tongue out, and slowly moistened his lips. The child was an untapped well of possibilities. Every time he saw him churn out that amount of _chakra _for any move, he realized that an Uchiha vessel was no longer required. Despite the great _Dojutsu _prowess of the _Sharingan, _the _chakra _to sustain it for long periods was not a trait the Uchiha had.

The answer was trivial. Once the final touches to his body-changing attempt at immortality were complete, he would then use the child, preferably a few years older by then, as a container for his soul. Later, given his immense strength and _chakra, _obtaining the powerful eyes would simply be a matter of time. Waiting until the perfect Uchiha arrived was going to be the bottleneck in his entire plan anyways; so why not wait inside a stronger, healthier body? The kind of treatment he'd meted out to his current one made a replacement necessary, as soon as possible.

Anyway, this simple triviality was his way of testing the kid for signs of his future potential. He'd long since surpassed the limitations of standard _genjutsu. _Also, using the convenient state of mind Jiraiya's yellow-haired protégé was in, he was able to get even more cooperation than he'd expected.

_Such feeble devices these unevolved minds are. _Orochimaru almost spat contemptuously. _So utterly worthless. _The only mind he had come to acknowledge, apart from his own, was that of the legendary Uchiha ancestor, the _one._ For the world view Uchiha Madara had was unique; despite him not having the means to achieve it, the possibilities of his vision for humanity still gave Orochimaru the goosebumps.

All those grand stratagems, the formulated plans; what did the genius get in return? Nothing. All because of that retarded do-gooder of an opponent, who just happened to be insanely strong as well. Orochimaru had long since found out that a single human body was too frail to sustain the soul for longer than a very limited time. Some of the research he was undertaking, however, was going to take far, far longer.

He had begun experimentation on a novel way to ensure the continuation of his existence. If this method worked, he would not need to despair about the completion of his schemes any more. For a trial run, however, he needed a test subject. One with massive amounts of _chakra, _to provide for the amount lost because of error and inexperience. And, of course, a near-Neanderthal mind.

And the test subject was lying in front of him. With a tail, too, extending the Neanderthal comparison even further back in the evolution timeline.

Orochimaru wrinkled his nose in disgust. _I've always detested monkeys._

_How ironic is it that I'd want to inhabit one…_

* * *

Kakashi knew exactly why he'd broken character and saved the monkey-boy. Simple survival instinct. There was absolutely no way anyone could win alone, so he needed everyone he had. Along with saving the kid, he'd also taken his shortsword in the same motion.

It was physically impossible to fend off fifteen _kunai _with only one blade, without taking any damage. Once he got a few cuts in on your desperately blocking other arm, it was basically a battle of attrition. And Minato definitely knew how to press the kid into making those mistakes. Sure, he had power, but a lack of _chakra _control, very little battle experience and a psychotic need to constantly hit back harder, not smarter, was undermining his strength.

_This is why I hate these brawn-no-brain losers. _He cast another glance towards Rin. She was still there, rooted to her spot. Even from a distance, she was visibly shaking. _Man, is even basic level-headedness too much to expect? _Emotion. Another point against the kid's weaknesses.

As he pulled out his own blade from behind his back, he was already assessing the scenario. From his hushed mutterings, the kid was simply taking a breather. So he had to fend off Minato's advances for at least a few minutes. He decided he would give him two. Then, it was _wakey-wakey_ time, even if it took a nice sword point into the ass. _That would hurt, wouldn't it? For at least a thousand years?_

Chuckling silently, he gripped both the hilts, and swung them, testing out his balance. Somehow, the black one was lighter, despite it being the larger of the two. He noticed the _chakra _hole almost instantly. _Hmm. So this was always meant to be dual-wielded. _Supplying the required difference, he matched the weights of the two swords. Placing a stopper on the hole using a miniature seal, he ensured that the _chakra _wouldn't exit by mistake and throw off the mass in the middle of a manoeuvre.

Looking into Minato's eyes, he saw the killing intent. So this was a _Jonin _at full strength. Kakashi couldn't resist a smile. He started walking towards his opponent. As he covered the distance, he kept checking on both Rin and the kid in his peripheral vision. Rin, at least, seemed to look more lifelike. She was slowly getting into position, shaking off the lethargy.

He whipped back into focus as three _kunai _launched themselves from above Minato's head and headed his way. Minato was simply testing the waters. Kakashi sliced, using both blades. He cut right through the metal, sending the halves flying off in random directions. One drove itself right into the ground, next to Obito's head. Lowering the sword, he levelled it at Minato's face.

"Come."

His _Jonin-sensei's _eyes widened comically at the challenge. But a millisecond later, he was already there, three more blades having replaced the ones Kakashi had cut. He felt the pressure as the difference in ability soon became clear. Dark metal blades appearing as if out of nowhere, juggling around his torso, circling like vultures over a dying animal. Kakashi knew he could keep them at bay now, given his two swords, but since there were blades everywhere, producing the same _kunai-_splitting swing was not going to be possible.

Minato stepped up his attack another notch. There were seventeen _kunais _now. He had no space, but he had to try and thin the herd a little. He whipped back his right arm, trying to add some momentum to his swing. Minato's eyes flashed, all of a sudden. As Kakashi tried to execute the movement, suddenly, his arm felt like it was dragging a boulder through mud. He looked back for a second, and saw ten blades bearing down on the sword, holding it in place behind his head.

_There's no need to get flustered, _he reminded himself. _I still have the other sword, and he has seven... Wait._

_THE HELL?_

_Seventeen kunai_ still faced him from the front.

Dodging those with just one sword would be rather..._irritating. _Kakashi suddenly left the blocked sword. Falling to his haunches, he picked it up again, right before it touched the ground, all the while carefully observing Minato's every move. The blades were on him before he knew it. Cocking his wrists, he held out the two blades opposite to each other, emulating the spinning bamboo toy children played with.

Powering upwards, he spun on the pivot created by rising on his heels, fanning out the blades to cover the area around him. The rapidly spinning blades sliced through the weak points in Minato's special _kunai, _ripping them into pieces. Exiting the spin, he continued into the air, and took aim. The last half turn would bring him face to face with Minato again. Throwing one of the swords as a javelin was his only option. Given a choice, it would have to be the black one.

Dismantling the seal, he added more _chakra _until the tendons in wrist screamed with pain from the centrifugal force. He pushed till he was sure he could add no more without actually dislocating the bones, and then resealed the hole. The adrenalin made the last ninety degrees of turn excruciatingly slow. Whipping his neck, he turned his head, in an attempt to get a longer look at his target. Accuracy was key.

And suddenly, it wasn't. There was a _Rasengan _right in his chest. As the attack connected, Kakashi simultaneously skewered his _Jonin-sensei _through the abdomen. The sheer weight of the sword made the flak jacket, skin and muscle underneath feel like nothing, as it went clean through. It wasn't hindered in the least as it slid further inwards, coming out the other side of Minato's torso with barely any decrease in speed. The _rasengan _lost its shape and disintegrated, but not before creating a small explosion. Kakashi was blown back, and his slick fingers slid off the dark black hilt. Because the seal was still in place, the weight remained unchanged.

He couldn't help it. His face cracked into a smile.

_And pop goes the weasel._

_Wait. The fang. The weasel. The fang._

_The weasel it is._

* * *

There were two dull thuds. The first was the still-moving hilt crashing into Minato's chest, unable to move further. The momentum transfer hit the yellow-haired _Jonin _like a hammer, driving him to the ground. Next, Kakashi falling heavily, the front of his clothes charred and ripped by the _Rasengan's _destructive power.

Nohara Rin only cared about one.

Running flat out in a sprint, she reached his fallen body, hands already flung in front of her. Falling to her knees, she cradled the grey-haired teen's head in one arm, while the other hand was going over the bleeding torso, marred forever by the characteristic spirals. For that was the curse of the attack Minato had invented. Its relative simplicity compared to other equally powerful _jutsus _was what made it such a weapon.

A tear welled up in her eye; she couldn't control herself. This was all her fault. If only she'd moved then, when she saw Minato-_sensei _prepare to jump with the _Rasengan _in his hand, she could have stopped him, and then Kakashi-_kun _would have had no problems with taking him out at his leisure. She'd been a massive liability, and she felt all the more guilty because of it.

All through her days at the Academy, she'd watched this genius sweep the grading system under the rug with his exceptional and, most importantly, consistent performance. Even the most cynical and sadistic instructors couldn't help but acknowledge Kakashi-_kun's _skill. Despite being extremely competitive, Rin had given up on the hopes that she would actually beat him at something. His aura of confidence simply had an effect on everyone else's grades as well. But even then, she'd come in second in the Academy, almost at Kakashi's level, and leagues above the rest of the crowd.

After three gruelling years, they had been acknowledged as Genins, those who would fearlessly choose to serve the needs of the village above their own. What was the point of he graduating second in the class, so far ahead of everyone else? What was the point of her training, the countless hours she'd spent? What was the point, if she couldn't convert that knowledge and training into actual results? And if there was none, what was she to do from now?

The answer was clear. Placing Kakashi's unconscious, barely breathing body down, ever so gingerly on the grass, she walked over to Minato. Reaching into his bloodied jacket, she drew out the bells. They gleamed in the sunlight; the profuse bloodshed hadn't reached them yet. Plucking one out of the two, she threw it towards the gray-haired prodigy's body. He wouldn't need to fight any more this day.

Something was going on in the back of her mind. It was a hushed, incomprehensible voice. She tried to drive it away, but it came back, even stronger.

_Forgetting... Mustn't forget..._

_Huh? Something I'm forgetting? _She shook her head. It must have been some conjured thought being projected through her senses. She began walking back towards Kakashi. He needed medical attention soon, or he was going to die, surely. Reaching the pale-faced boy, she proceeded to hold him tightly and started dragging him towards the medical center, quite the distance away from the remote training grounds. Kakashi groaned at the sudden movement, but Rin continued on. _Better a little a pain now than complete crippling..._

"Don't bother."

She stopped in her tracks, and turned to face the voice. The kid was just getting up, and clearly struggling to do so. Rin was flabbergasted. He could still remain conscious, even after handling a _Jonin _head-on? Sure, Kakashi-_kun _had saved him from a clear death, but he'd sustained far greater injuries before that. He should have been in a similar condition.

Grunting, he shifted his weight into a less painful position. Slowly raising his arm, he pointed with his thumb to something behind him. Obito still lay there, fallen like a corpse. Rin gasped audibly as she remembered what she had forgotten. "He got the brunt of the attacks; the next few _Rasengans _were far, far weaker. You should probably see to him first," Rin nodded, and gingerly placed Kakashi right onto the ground.

As she sprinted past, he added, "And don't worry about taking him anywhere. Someone's already taking care of that." She glanced at him as she whizzed past. He was staring into a random spot in the undergrowth. Had someone else been watching them? That was obvious; the real question was _how many people _had been watching.

She approached the tree without slowing down at all. A glance was all it took to tell her that his vitals were far, far worse than the other two combined. She leaned downwards, and placed her ear next to his mouth. It was exactly as she'd feared. No breathing. Obito's lips were already blue. He needed resuscitation, and he needed it immediately.

She moved over his face, pausing only to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Bending down, she held his mouth open in the position that had been drilled into her during those first aid classes. She didn't even consider the implications of what she was about to do.

All Nohara Rin could think about was that the quicker she got Obito breathing on his own, the sooner she could return to Kakashi-_kun's _side. It was an extremely base and shameless thought process, but at least it eliminated the awkwardness of kissing someone right on the lips.

Breathing out forcefully, she saw the Uchiha's lungs rise, and then fall as she broke lip contact. That meant that he had simply stopped breathing due to massive shock. His pulse was still holding steady, but with every beat, it was getting weaker as more blood oozed out of the gashes and cuts he had on his chest. She continued, still gazing at his chest rise and fall.

She was too engrossed with keeping her _nakama _alive to notice that her original object of concern had woken up.

* * *

_The. Actual. Fuck._

The said object of concern was shell-shocked.

Goku hobbled up to him. "She's just giving him first-aid," he said, as a consolation.

His expression relaxed quite significantly. He gave him a resigned, sarcastic smile, and limped over to Minato's body. Gripping the sword with his right hand, he pulled it out, with surgeon-like precision. No extra injured tissue, no more blood loss. He was too tired to do anything more. Dropping the still-heavy blade, he dropped alongside it.

_Return quickly, Mikoto..._

* * *

The alarm rang insistently.

Kushina crammed her eyes shut, and tried to drown out the sound using her pillow as an ear muffler. Today was her day off. And she'd forgotten to turn off the damn alarm the night before. _Why do I do these stupid things?_

_Speaking of stupid things... _Minato, with his godforsaken sweet-talk, had convinced her to let him test his _Genins_ alone. How he had managed it, she didn't know, but the next thing she knew he was tucking her into bed, telling her how nice her day off was going to be. But that idiot had not done the most vital thing. He too, had conveniently forgotten to turn it off.

She sat up, sleepily rubbing her eyelids. Her slender figure, right there in the mid-morning sunlight, in her loosely hanging nightclothes, as the rays caught every strand of messy, bed hair, was an artist's wet dream. Turning, she smashed the snooze button of the clock hard with her fist, shattering the illusion that the Uzumaki was, in any way, attractive.

She cracked open a single eyelid to just glance at the time. The face read half past nine. Three hours past her usual time. A little confused, she shuffled over to the nightstand, and picked up the now-destroyed thing in her hand. There was a note attached to the back. Picking it off, she started reading.

_So, good morning, I guess. How's your day off? Slept well? Heh. Sorry about the alarm, but it's important. __In case you still want in, you can come and meet my Genins now. I'm probably done failing them all by now, so you can come play good cop and tell them they've actually passed._

_Love, Minato. _That part was clearly not an afterthought, as much as a statement of the obvious. Laughing a little at her boyfriend's indirectness, she got up to change. Oh, she wasn't going to play good cop; not even close to good. For the red-haired devil was called that for a very good reason. Because she was.

_I'll show you a greater hell than Minato has._

_Just you wait._

* * *

**That took quite the long while. It feels almost like Kyakka's scanlations, doesn't it?**

**Oh, wait. I think he's stopped translating Oregairu.**

**Stupid, stupid Yen Press and their licensing.**

**Anyway, my recent anime/LN kick has ended, and I'm back. **

**Hopefully I get off another couple of chapters in a short while, eh?**

**By the way, anyone got the _Sennen Goroshi _reference in the middle? **

**Kudos if you actually did.**

**Recurring readers, thanks for sticking with the story. I promise I won't let it die.**

**P.S. Optimus610 and Boyzilla, kudos for pointing that out. **

**After a little reconsideration, I've decided to change that part a little.**

**Keep reading, and telling me about such factual inaccuracies.**

**Peace out.**


	11. Frustration

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Damn. That last one was a biggie.**

**Seven thousand words. I've never written a chapter that big before.**

**Sheesh. I'm back to my usual 6K range, and will try to stick to it from now on.**

**Read on...**

* * *

**_Chapter 10: Frustration_**

* * *

"So, your mission for today is to find Haramaki-_san's _cat."

Sarutobi Hiruzen maintained his impassive expression, even as three aghast faces stared right back at him. Kushina stood a little to their left. Giving them a murderous glance, she shut them up, turning them into meek, if slightly sulky, thirteen-year-old outpatients.

Their exit from the hospital was rather..._eventful._ The nurse on duty had come to find random replacements lying under the sheets. Obito still lay there, sprawled on the bed like the lazy idiot he was, snoring contentedly. Kakashi had used a human skeleton, using the transformation _jutsu _to make it look like his facsimile. Rin had also done something similar, leaving a little _chakra _bubble to fill up the sheet, making it look like someone was under it, and transforming a pillow to look like her sleeping head.

What the nurse had found most disturbing, was the caricature that was definitely _not _Goku's face lying on his pillow. It was drawn using a pink pill as a chalk, and looked surprisingly like what the nurse imagined a teacup pig's wet dream would look like.

Kushina had headed the search party, and had found the three retards training in the same grounds they'd got beaten in, adamant to train as much as they could. Rin was taking the two boys on, two on one. They had taken significantly more damage than her in the fight, while she'd ended up with only severe exhaustion as her admitting symptom. The three were so competitive that they decided to leave one day before Rin's early discharge.

She'd decided that these three, if left unsupervised, would definitely end up back in the infirmary with even worse injuries. She'd shepherded them right to the _Hokage's _chambers, and insisted that the three, under her tutelage, do all the available D-Rank missions that were open at the moment.

* * *

_You children and your irresponsible behaviour!_

Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to explode with anger.

These straggling ingrates knew not how lucky they were to be alive, notwithstanding the fact that they were well enough to be assigned a mission. Also, he was infuriated at their sheer lack of concern for their _sensei, _who lay in the Intensive Care ward, _chakra _completely run dry after the barrage of _rasengans _he'd let loose with reckless abandon. Oh, the topic of that imbecile was a different question again.

Shuddering with rage, he took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. This was not a time to get all worked up. This was not a time to be telling them that they were mere fledglings, too inexperienced to handle anything else. Especially not so soon after the incident. He was supposed to be a pillar of support to the supposedly traumatised trio, after all.

In the week following the blonde _Jonin's _uncharacteristic outburst, the village had been a swirling mass in which rumors, hearsay and controversy floated like flotsam after a shipwreck. Everyone seemed to have their own version of the event. Some said it was Minato finally cracking under the pressure of being a _Jonin _at his age. Others denied it, saying it was those brats who were ungrateful enough to deserve a little..._disciplining, _to put it in affable terms. Some even went as far as saying that the Uchiha had something to do with it, where they were capable of nearly killing one of their own clan members to get their agenda forwarded in the village council.

The worst of them was one retard claiming that Minato had personal grudge against _Kakashi, _because he'd been getting some on the side from _Kushina_. Hiruzen had never heard such baseless, simply scandalous rumors before. All of this was bullshit, and Hiruzen had dismissed them as soon as he heard how ridiculous they were. A simple training test had absolutely nothing to do with the village's administration and leadership.

Oh, he'd felt absolutely furious when a messenger had informed him about Minato's latest exploits. Hiruzen knew that Minato didn't want to take on a team. He knew that whatever test he was going to conduct on those three hapless _Genins _would be an utter, confidence-raping rout which would end with all three of them in tears, covered with mud, and exhausted to the point of death. What he'd never expected was how far beyond even this generously drawn line Minato had gone.

After all, they were _shinobi, _and even putting aside their military and strategic worth, they were Konoha's very own people. The _Sandaime _refused to believe that the gentle, loyal Minato, who always spoke so fervently about the village and its people being of paramount importance to him, would so carelessly play with the lives of four children in such a cruel way. For no matter how talented they were, they were _Genins, _and thirteen-year-olds to boot.

This kind of incident so soon after the boy's entrance made it too perfect to be a simple coincidence. Something changed when he arrived, claiming to have no backstory, no background of any sort. At the time, Hiruzen had taken it at face value. But now, after what had happened, it was imperative that he talk to the child at once. And he would have done exactly that, had a very surprising visit from Uchiha Mikoto not changed his mind.

_"Hokage-sama, I assure you that he had nothing to do with this." _When he'd remained skeptical, she'd gone on to tell him about the test in detail, how he appeared normal at first, then gradually getting more and more ominous, eventually culminating in the violent, _rasengan-_flinging freak during the fight for real. _"Also,"_ she'd reasoned, _"Why would he go through the trouble of causing this, and getting hurt himself in the battle? If he was really controlling Minato's actions, wouldn't he try to avoid injury?"_

The _Sandaime _had to concede on that point. There was no motive for self-injury, unless the kid was a massive masochist. Then again, what _did _he know about him? He'd taken it lightly, pawning the responsibility onto Minato's shoulders, but now it seemed that the yellow-haired _Jonin _wasn't entirely reliable either. What if the _genjutsu _had been placed on him in that forest? Not by Goku, definitely. His _tenketsu _weren't even open then; there was no way to fake that.

Who else could it be? Someone who wanted desperately to derail the eighteen-year-old's contention for the coveted position Hiruzen was about to hand over to him, maybe. It definitely narrowed down the list of suspects considerably. For only a selected group of individuals even knew that the _Sandaime _was retiring. This wasn't going to happen in the immediate future, far from it. The village was still reeling from the horrendous aftermath of the Second Shinobi War. The post of the _Hokage _wasn't going to have a fourth for at least another couple of years.

_Yondaime... _It felt awkward to even think of that brat becoming mature enough to take on this mountainous responsibility, but even the old man had to admit that he was definitely capable of it. And that was exactly how his image in the village had been, until this incident. The day he was given the task of training _three _kids, he managed to fuck it up, injuring them and himself in the process. Although the general public discussed it as an 'accident', opinions about Minato were already smudged.

He had quite the uphill battle from now on forth, if he even so much as wanted to stand for the post. The mastermind, whoever it was, had thought it out to perfection. As such, Hiruzen knew only two minds capable of coming up with a devious, damage-controlled plan such as this, and only one knew first-hand about Minato's eventual succession.

The other... _He probably has already figured it out. _And when it came to complex, rule-breaking _genjutsu, _either one could have done it. Danzo, with his _Sharingan-_covered arm, or Orochimaru, through sheer innovation and genius. Adding the fact that Mikoto couldn't analyse the _genjutsu _tilted the scales in Orochimaru's favour.

Now, it came to the final question; motive. What incentive did either one of them have for coercing Minato to kill off those four kids, Goku in particular? Danzo's ideology was trivial. _Eliminate all threats to the village. All suspicious people need to be dealt with swiftly and quietly. _That much was obvious. He had made it very clear that he considered the Uchiha a major threat; he had not gone and spread intrigue about the bloodstains near the enclosure. The people themselves had come to that conclusion, given the general attitude towards the Uchiha's seclusive behaviour.

So he had achieved his purpose, at least for the moment. That only left Orochimaru. What was that dastardly pupil of his doing now? Only time would tell, in his case. Orochimaru always managed to keep his intentions hidden. So, despite the fact that Hiruzen knew about the existence of his schemes, there was really nothing he could guess without confronting the man in person.

As his eyes merely watched Kushina thoroughly chew out the two _Genins _and the third, unknown piece, he was already mentally clearing out time from his schedule. _Meeting with Nara Shikaku about some security threat. I simply cannot afford to not attend that. Maybe I could postpone this... _The four would _not_ stop bickering.

"Enough!" that was sufficient to draw all eyes in the room to him. In an exasperated voice, he continued, "Very well, Kushina. I shall give you the missions. Now leave me alone for a while. Unlike you children, I actually have _work_ to do," Kushina got the hint. The subtle stress on the word _work _meant that something more pressing was on his mind than their problems at the moment.

Pushing all the kids out, she closed the door behind her. The fifty-something _Hokage _sat down, massaging his forehead. A migraine had suddenly popped up, unbidden. He groaned internally.

_I'm getting too old for this._

* * *

Mikoto was waiting on the outside, and had gotten a tad impatient. "I've almost had it with this waiting." She looked over at her best friend. "Any luck? What mission did you get, if at all? Did you manage to convince the old geezer?"

Kushina had a downcast expression that only came from previous experience. Clearly, Haramaki-_san's _cat getting lost was quite the common occurrence. It was a wonder that the ninety-five year old woman kept the cat and her kittens _inside _the house for such long intervals. The redhead sighed; this was going to be a long day. At least the children seemed happy; they had no reason not to be. Goku seemed the most excited, flashing his newly-obtained forehead protector like a badge of honor. _Man, that kid gives too many fucks in life._

Anyway, the cat wasn't going to find itself. "All right," she said, taking a step towards the pavement. The other four gathered around her. It felt good, this leadership thing. Maybe she could take it off Minato's hands for at least a while, or maybe forever...

"So. We're going to split up from here. Goku and I will take the east side, and the three of you shall take the west. If someone does manage to catch hold of this annoying feline before lunchtime, I shall personally treat him or her to lunch." After that, she had Goku's full commitment, even though she knew that he needed no incentive to jump around like a freaking monkey.

_Monkey. _That was the second thing churning up Kushina's mental peace that day. The kid had a tail. As interesting as that was, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease about Goku since she found out. Of course, this sort of physical manifestation of animal characteristics was not usually seen in humans, even the particularly ugly ones. (_Three eyes, maybe a balloon-sized nose, maybe even blue skin, but NEVER a tail, God forbid...)_

This left only a few, very unlikely explanations as to why he had a tail, and such a hairy one at that. The frontrunner by far among those was that Goku might just be...oh, Kushina didn't want to think of this, but she had to admit that it made too much sense. But, being a _Jinchuuriki, _she did feel a certain camaraderie with the thirteen-year-old. It was possible that the insertion of the beast might have been done at a very young age, and covered up well enough that he had no idea that it even existed, especially if it was a docile creature.

It took quite the leap of faith to believe that a beast would be docile under such circumstances. Any sentient being would protest at being imprisoned inside a human host, no matter how calm it was when free. She, at least, knew what it was like. That ungrateful little fox just would _not _stop thrashing for the first few weeks. She still felt a little resistance from him once every fortnight.

It was an insistent urge to go and stand proud at the edge of a cliff, and howl mournfully at the moon. Sometimes, during the harvest moon, for example, it had gotten unbearable, to the extent where she'd let out miniature whimpers during the night. It was all an effort to let the monster settle down. The previous carrier of the old fox of legend, Uzumaki Mito-_sama _had already mentioned how desperately difficult a task this was, and how important it was to the village that its power not fall into malignant hands.

She shook her head, driving away her nostalgia. The infernal cat had to be found, and these hyperactive children had a lesson that needed to be taught to them. Motioning to Goku, they leapt away, while Mikoto and the other two took the exact opposite direction. As they moved over the rooftops at minimal speed, searching the alleyways from above for signs of the ten-year-old tabby, Kushina couldn't help but keep glancing at the kid's rear end, with the simian appendage popping out, moving with a will of its own.

_Are you a Jinchuuriki, Goku?_

_Also, if you are, do you know?_

_And finally, if you don't, would you want to?_

* * *

_Banzai!_

Hatake Kakashi had found fur. And the unfortunate cat encased by it. He stared at it, willing it to stay still. Behind him, Rin held her breath, not moving a muscle. Mikoto stood on standby, totally uninterested. _If you catch him on your first try, I'll show you... Something special,_ she'd said, winking for greater was sufficient incentive for the closet pervert that the gray-haired teen was.

Mikoto knew her _special something_ was safe, though. She'd been in the same team of _Genins _as Kushina, and had seen what this cat was capable of. It ducked, writhed and ran away until the three idiots chasing it were bruised, battered, and in general questioning their life decisions that had brought them to this _bloody_ point.

Taking a step forward, Kakashi tested the waters. The cat kept staring right into his eyes, not moving a muscle. He smiled. This was going to be _so _easy. One pounce, and they could be well on their way to a better mission. Timing his jump, he leaped. The cat looked into his eyes until the very last second. And then, with a sadistic twitch of its whiskers, it darted under his airborne body. He flailed his arms like a psychopath, but to no avail. Gravity was a cruel, cruel bitch indeed. Especially for the still-recovering thirteen year old.

_CRACK! _He crammed his eyes shut, biting his upper lip to try and contain the complaints of his sore muscles. Craning his neck, he looked behind, and saw the cat sitting right there. It was nonchalantly licking a paw, but in a strange way. Instead of moving its tongue over the paw, it moved the paw forwards and back. The effect was quite akin to a challenger saying _come on. _Kakashi nearly blew his top at that.

_Oh, just you wait, you stupid feline. You shall become my bitch by the end of this day._

And, as if it had heard that very thought, the cat extended a single claw.

It could have been any one but _that_ one. The gray-haired prodigy knew not how to react. For an animal had just freaking _flipped him off_.

Scrambling to his feet, he jumped again, this time in frustration. Sidestepping with a natural grace, it moved just enough to let his desperate, clawing fingers to pass through its orange coat. Kakashi's head turned to follow it's motion, eyes keeping up with it's subtle muscle movements. Noticing the twitches it exhibited before changing direction, and memorized them. The next time, it would not be able to escape.

Ignoring his battered body's protests, he stood back up almost immediately. Giving his target a contemptuous stare, he dared it to move. _Go on, bitch. _The cat did nothing. Gave out a content purr and sat back down to lick itself, clearly not giving a shit about the teenager who was trying so desperately to return it to its owner.

Kakashi nearly started foaming at the mouth. The spiral scar on his chest had begun to throb again. After all, it had only been three freaking days. As he looked at the cat with pure murder in his eyes, he readied himself for a final, premeditated lunge. As he strained his haunches, and jumped, he saw the characteristic twitch that signified a dodge to the left.

With a smile, Kakashi shifted his position in mid-air ever so slightly. And realized that he'd been taken in for a jackass. The cat's form drifted over to the _right, _and sadistically evaded the grey-haired teen's outstretched fingers. The twitches were random after all. As he braced himself for a soul-shattering impact, he saw it nimbly sidestep Rin's attempt at catching it, and bolt away into the warren of streets beyond. The warren to the _west _of where they were.

As he lay there, body shuddering with the sudden flood of nerve impulses, he saw what appeared to be the shadow of a laughing woman right around the corner. He shook an imaginary fist at her, simply because he was in too much freaking pain to do so in reality.

_Mikoto-sensei, you are the most despicable of them all._

* * *

No one was happier to have left the hospital than Goku. He scrambled up walls, leaped and bounded across rooftops, and sprinted until Kushina finally caught him by the scruff of the neck, a dangerous glint in her eye.

_Care to do that again, runt? I dare ya'._

Goku gulped. He'd simply wanted to test out the benefits he had received from this recent recovery, but he was surprised as to how much he'd grown from such minor wounds. The time wasn't right for experimentation; there was a cat to be caught. Shaking off the red devil's grasp, he began his search. One alleyway in, he struck gold. There it was, the exact replica of the picture that they'd been given as a comparison. Getting ready, he charged, determined to take the feline down.

"Stop, you retard!"

Kushina's admonition rang out loudly in the narrow space. He paid her no heed. The red devil's insults held no sway over him now. He dove blindly, a smile splitting his face. The cat returned the confident smirk. Not even caring to move this time, it casually evaded Goku's move with no effort at all. For the Saiyan had miscalculated horribly. Flying over the smug tabby's head, he crashed into the stone wall, almost breaking his nose.

Getting up, he furiously rubbed his face to try and stop the pain. That exercise resulted in nothing but him getting his freshly-washed _gi _ruined with blood. It mattered not; he had three spare ones that Minato had gotten sewn for him, in the same material and colour. What mattered was Kushina's irritating expression as she tried very hard not to burst out laughing at his faceplant.

Meanwhile, the cat simply lay a few feet away, stretching lazily. Somehow that infuriated the Saiyan even more. He took out his tail, prepared to catch it with another appendage in case his next attempt failed. Ignoring Kushina's startled look, he moved with a deceptive slowness, trying to lull it into a sense of security. It shouldn't be this hard; he'd caught slipperier fish without even trying. In a burst of motion, he sprinted toward the cat.

It didn't even care to make eye contact. It simply gazed haughtily into the side alley, not giving a single shit about anything Goku did. As he approached, it lethargically got up, and took a step back. _Come get me, _its expression seemed to say, almost out loud. Goku reached close enough to lunge at it, and lunge he did, superbly so. His entire body arched, rising smoothly from the running motion into the air, and his torso bent down, hands outstretched. Had Kushina been a swim instructor, she would have probably marvelled at the technique of the dive.

But Kushina was a _Jonin, _and Goku was shit out of luck. As he neared the nonchalant cat's body, fingers desperate to clutch it's furry tail and hold on, he noticed a movement to the right.

_CRACK! _Oh, the sound of two noggins hitting each other was always a sweet one. Kushina stared at Goku and Kakashi hit the ground, mouths already deep into the dirt, and couldn't hold back any more. She let out massive guffaws, matched from the perpendicular alleyway by Mikoto's sweet soprano giggles.

_These morons are going to need more than a day at this rate._

As she contemplated how they would further embarrass themselves, Rin walked up to the now-lazing-again cat. For a full minute, she just stood there, not moving a muscle. The feline simply licked its paws, expecting the girl to do something. She bent down, and took out a cat treat from her belt pouch. Offering it on her outstretched palm, she smiled her best _come hither _smile.

She'd actually seen guys and the odd male animal being gravitationally drawn to the power of the smile when Kurenai-_chan _used it. _Oh, she's just pretty in the right light, _Rin's petty side threw out forcefully. Meanwhile, the cat seemed entranced. Much to the utter bewilderment of all those watching with widened, unblinking eyes, it drew closer to the treat, eyes focused on the brown-haired girl's face.

It reached the little brown thing in her palm, and went ape-shit crazy. First snatching away the food in its mouth, it slashed at Rin's hand, lacerating the whole thing with is fully-drawn claws. As she winced in pain, it jumped right at her face, taking her down to the ground. After playing around happily with claws awhirl, and leaving behind a criss-cross of red lines over her supposedly pretty face, it hopped off, and strolled away, naught a care in the world.

Kushina and Mikoto's laughter echoed in the narrow back street, as the angry, humiliated children gave the feline three very dirty looks.

_How dare you hurt Rin-chan!_

_How dare you do that to me, after I was so kind to you?_

_Hmm. Fried or smoked, I guess cat tastes the same._

* * *

The blade retracted with a snick.

Underneath, the sliced tissue oozed out blood like a leaky spigot.

The Snake's face had an ethereal glow to it, his translucent, milky skin shining with amusement and pleasure. It was a pleasure like none other, the formidable joy of human experimentation.

_Why do you do it? Why must you sacrifice the lives of these numerous people? _It was a question oft asked to the great _shinobi. _He never had an answer for thse bumbling imbeciles. Their minds were not capable to fathom even his most trivial motives. For they never imagined that everything had an opposite; every _yin _its _yang, _if you will. Their useless minds refused to believe in the capability of evil, instead clinging desperately to the shining beacon that was, ironically, the _Shadow of the Fire_.

The general populace never seemed to accept his position in society, dismissing what they could not understand as mythical and/or traitorous. He was the antithesis of everything the _Hokage _stood for, a counterbalancing force of great power and potential. As his _sensei _searched for his soul in the hearts and happiness of the people around him, striving to protect every last one, he too chose to find the true meaning of life and wisdom, by gaining knowledge of the strongest and most potent _ninjutsu _ever created.

For he was the epitome of human evolution. He had gone further and more boldly than any of the other cowardly, spineless researchers of his time and before. In his own way, he had subtly guided the village in a more acceptable direction, one that, in Orochimaru's opinion, did not end with the slow decay, rot, and eventual razing of this worthless piece of land and humanity to the ground. For that he'd looked at one of the best examples he had, one from the other side of the psychological fence.

Senju Hashirama was the one person other who Orochimaru gave a whit's worth to, because of his sheer ability. His unique techniques, the ability to regenerate any part of one's body almost instantaneously, at the cost of a little future lifespan, and the essential power of _Mokuton no Jutsu _to control the _Kyuubi, _weren't something to be taken lightly. He had realised that the solution was simple. Using the now-deceased _Shodai's _remains, and the immense amount of genetic information stored within them, he would bring back the use of the two best abilities that the land of the _shinobi _had never seen.

Managing to extract the Shodai's cells from the wreckage that was his tomb was nothing short of a miracle. To top that further, by then performing a detailed analysis of the then eighty-year old DNA, followed by actually inserting it into the living ones of some of his test subjects, he'd managed the impossible. After more than a century, he'd finally recreated the regenerative powers that had lived and died with the First.

And now, when he was at the point of another breakthrough, he had been rudely interrupted by the very man who'd taught him to dream, to gaze beyond what one could see, into the murky darkness and discern what lay there.

The very _sensei _who'd preached the importance of curiosity and the thirst of knowledge was now the obstacle in his path.

Teacher and student confronted each other. The air was heavy, filled with subtext. A dozen soundless conversations extended between the two from the very movements of their eyebrows and eyes.

Very slowly, as if underwater, the _Sandaime _lifted his arm, grasping the revered pole he had fastened to his back. Enma seemed raring to go, the adamantine staff twirling in the air as Hiruzen prepared himself.

Orochimaru simply smiled. Such brash folly had to be met with punishment. Well-aged he may be, it was no lie to say that the _Hokage _was in his decline. His once-massive _chakra _reserves were steadily reducing with time, and he only managed to keep his edge through improving his _chakra _control and fine-tuning his _ninjutsu _such that the bare minimum amount of _chakra _be spent on each technique.

However, in his current condition, Orochimaru weighed out the factors, analysing his chances for victory. Given Hiruzen's current stance and ferocity, it was not sure what may happen if he tried to strike first. So he merely decided to bide his time, and listen to the geezer. But first, there was one other thing he had to take care of.

"You can come out, you cowardly fools," he motioned to the space behind the _Sandaime. _Very reluctantly, four members of the ANBU emerged from the shadows. _Such pointless, redundant creatures, the ANBU. Their very existence is a besmirching of the good name of our village. Whether there is a good name left to besmirch depends heavily on how the next few minutes go._

"What brings the _Hokage-sama _to my humble abode, I wonder?" Orochimaru broke the silence. He may be the less favoured party here, but there was a chance he might use his _sensei's _emotion to edge out victorious. After all, out of the _Sannin, _he'd spent the least time chitchatting around like the other two imbeciles. While Jiraiya indulged in useless tomfoolery, he had been doing quite the detailed study of their _Jonin _supervisor.

"I think the topic of this discussion is very apparent, Orochimaru," Hiruzen was using first names from the outset. Classic attempt at personalizing the enemy. _Get on first-name terms. It builds a sense of familiarity. _That was literally the oldest trick in the book.

Considering the possibility of whether this was an obvious bluff, or the less-obvious double bluff, or the subtle triple bluff, Orochimaru decided that names did not matter. Rather, it gave him the advantage. He didn't give a flying damn about his do-gooder _sensei._ He could see the disappointment and concern in Hiruzen's, though. Using _that _route to save his skin was impossible, though.

Orochimaru never grovelled. Bargained, demanded, negotiated, but never grovelled.

_(He also had issues with referring to himself in the third-person, but I digress)_

"But of course, Sarutobi-_sensei,_" he stressed the honorific on purpose. "I think we both know how this conversation is going to proceed, too. So I shall skip the unnecessary waste of time." he saw Hiruzen calm down a little. _So he had expected a physical confrontation,_ Orochimaru mused.

"Debate shall get us nowhere. I shall tell you what I want, and will generously give you one chance at a counter offer." The _Hokage _was trying to assume authority again. _Hiding behind your chair, are you now? Pathetic._

He decided that this was not the time for open rebellion. His experiment being in the stage it was, it would be impossible to shift all his apparatus. It was critical that he perform the extraction of the kid's genes while it was very fresh. Somehow, his DNA degraded faster than most human samples. It was like it had a self-destruct command inserted inside the code, causing it to disintegrate within hours of the cell's death. Since actually apprehending the boy for testing was not feasible for the foreseeable future, he had to remain close to him, and so did his equipment.

_His characteristics are so dissimilar to that of the average human being. He is my ideal test subject, one so far distanced from the mean of the bell curve that he could, in all probability, be called a different species._

And, like a lightning flash, it struck him. Hiruzen had begun lecturing him again, but when had he ever cared about that? Pretending to focus using eye gestures and the occasional head movement, he considered the ramifications of this idea. If little Goku-_kun _was a different species, it would explain everything. The tail, the disorientation, and most importantly, the regeneration.

He now absolutely had to stay here. His experiment now had another directing purpose. With a growing irritation, he waited for the old fool to finish his self-righteous preaching. Sacrificing some of his other experimental processes in order to remain in Konohagakure was fine by him, if it got Hiruzen out of here immediately. As he kept ranting, the pristine samples he had taken were degrading.

Again, the very presence of his teacher was proving to be a hindrance to him. _I wish you would just go ahead and die, geezer. _

"Weren't we not going to debate?" Orochimaru raised his voice, stopping the _Sandaime _halfway through his sentence.

"I have an offer. I shall stop pursuing the yellow-haired fledgling you want to name your heir. That matters not to me, in any case." there was a finality to his tone, that said _'this discussion is over' _better than mere words.

Hiruzen took the hint. His agenda having been achieved, there was no further reason to stay.

"I wish you would change, but that is mere whimsy," Hiruzen had to have the final say. Another one of his little personality defects.

"Farewell for now, my student." replacing the venerable staff back in its sheath, the _Sandaime _turned and left. The door hadn't even closed behind him when Orochimaru rushed over to the cold storage. Every minute counted now. DNA analysis for species could be done with DNA which had reached a later stage of degradation than what had to be used for extraction of individual segments. He had a previous sample that would suffice, but it was nearing the stage after which it was rendered useless.

Taking out the petri dish, Orochimaru transferred it to the work table. Adding the arresting solution, he stopped further cell division. Using another set of chemicals, he began the reactions that would give him the DNA in its purest possible form. These usually took time, but Orochimaru began catalysing the reaction with _chakra, _a very risky process unless performed with great care, but one that granted almost immediate results.

A few seconds later, it was done. Taking the sample over to the analyser, he started the contraption immediately. He was cutting it very close. It was a race against the rapid degradation, a contest with time.

With this hypothesis proved, he could then proceed to further assumptions of his being wrong. One could almost see the gears inside the genius's brain at work, as he compiled a list of alternatives he could try. Inter-species gene transplants never went well in general, but in this case he had been very lucky to have not had an adverse reaction in his previous attempts. Proper protocol had to be followed now.

His eyes shone with unbridled passion. Here he was, expanding the borders of his own knowledge, on the verge of possibly discovering a new, humanoid species, one that was so similar in structure and character to the normal humans around it that it simply fit in. This might be an almost-impossible mutation, one that usually took millions of years to occur.

He waited with bated breath for the reaction to complete. The _chakra _catalysis had bought some time, but it might not be enough. One random degradation might render the sample useless. Oh the irony; something that was basically the instruction manual for regeneration was itself instructed to reduce to nothing in such a short time. It was like nature itself was protecting its secrets. Not willing to give them up to the one race that could understand them, and make use of them.

_Not one any more, it could possibly be two, _he mused. The feeling of euphoria was building, one that he hadn't felt in a long while.

The machine stopped whirring. It was done.

Orochimaru didn't need to check for the answer written neatly on the paper in the form of a machine-drawn graph. The time taken was indication enough.

He couldn't hold himself back. Rearing his head back, he let out a hearty laugh.

_Goku-kun, you are most intriguing._

_Most intriguing indeed._

* * *

**So many possibilities.**

**So many avenues this story can take.**

**My mind calls to me. _'Write!'_ it exclaims,****but I cannot put it down on paper.**

**I can't help it. I take my laptop, and type out my frustration.**

**FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK, says the silent screen.**

**I will conclude with one more word.**

**Cheers.**


	12. Goku

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**I think I've taken the different POVs thing a little too far in the last few chapters.**

**This one shall be centred on the protagonist, our very own Son-_kun._**

**Here goes...**

* * *

_**Chapter 11 : Goku**_

* * *

The forest that surrounded the Great Hidden Village of Konoha was no ordinary one. It was said that it contained great powers of ancient and mystical origins, granting a dedicated student of the art of _ninjutsu _the dual benefits of longevity and _chakra._

It _was _said, mind you. The current view of the village was that these prophecies were a load of crap. Although still believing in the legend of the powers of the _kyuubi, _the _shinobi _had attained what they called a more 'modernistic' approach to life and philosophy in general. This led to massive dissensions on what to believe in, and the villagers chose one thing. They channelled their hopes into the _Hokage, _and in the absence of an actual villain figure to hate, they poured all their residual frustrations into jeering and alienating the Uchiha.

Goku had not the slightest clue about the undercurrents of conspiracy and unrest that threatened to topple the tower of authority. Not that he gave a flying fuck, anyway. He wasn't here to do anything about this village. He was here to train, and enjoy what would most likely be his last life in the world. Despite this apathetic attitude, he had grown to like the people he spent time with. These were good, caring folk, and even Kakashi, with his cold stares and sarcastic comments, only meant well.

This was an experience not particularly new to him, but he wasn't complaining.

It was a time for rest, after all.

Both mental and physical.

* * *

He hung off a branch, gazing into the horizon, and the inverted trees. His tail grasped the wood with a deceptively delicate-looking grasp, but it bore his weight casually. Not that it was anything great; he was a thirteen-year old, after all, and a skeleton compared to his previous adult body. His spiky hair resembled the shape it usually was in when he used to turn Super Saiyan, gravity replacing sheer _Ki _as the 'uplifting' factor.

This was his first day off in the last month. Since the day they'd taken their first mission, the team of three _Genins _under Uzumaki Kushina had taken on the entire scroll of D-Rank missions on their heads. As the other _Genin _three-man cells trained and gallivanted away their four week vacations after the Academy examination, this particular bunch of restless teenagers had bent over backwards finishing what seemed like an endless stream of assignments.

_Literally _bent over backwards in that first mission, Goku reminisced. Rin had repeated her previous attempt at seducing the cat, while Goku stood back to back with her, holding his breath and hiding. Keeping a clear escape route from in between her legs, she'd invited the unsuspecting feline in for another treat. As it had expectedly taken the treat, and _unexpectedly _walked away, Goku had suddenly bent over, propelling Rin forward. This had resulted in the both of them losing balance suddenly, and after the dust due to the kerfuffle had had settled down, the Saiyan had the cat's tail in his hand.

_'A complete fluke,' _Kushina had commented. At that time, after fifty failures, the three did not care. They had simply ignored their laughing supervisors and trudged away haughtily, trying and failing to maintain their dignity. Luckily for their own self-respect, the other missions had gone swimmingly well, and without major incident. Sure, some missions, like observing a certain lake in the forest for signs of a man-eating fish were _sort of_ interesting, the word being used in the most liberal sense, but others, such as digging holes for lampposts were clearly glorified community service.

The digging, although mind-numbingly boring, had been a good workout once Kakashi figured out a way to shovel earth that used a lot of muscles of the body in opposition, meaning greater effort, and as a direct consequence, free strength training for his torso. Goku had realized his weird motions were for a purpose, and he too started pumping the excavating implement like a dumbbell.

_Speaking of training,_ Goku gave an involuntary shudder. Kushina had not let up on his grueling schedule, despite him having missions to complete now. It was like she wanted to drag out the hidden strength inside him in the space of a single month and a half, if not three weeks. Despite her concentration-camp level treatment and Goku's massive appetite, progress was slow. It was mainly because puberty was just beginning to strike him. Only after this new body had gone through the hormonal and physical upheaval could he become any stronger.

Still, his physique quite resembled Gohan's, from the time he fought Cell. He'd managed to reach as far as that, at least. In the last few days, Kushina too had given up on the muscle gain program, deciding to focus on his skills. Goku was as strong as he could be. Now was the time to hone his adeptness at_taijutsu, __chakra _usage, and most importantly, his ability with his black ANBU blade.

The redhead had left various aspects of his training to various people. Basic hand-to-hand combat and standard _shinobi _equipment use she handled herself. Leaving _chakra _control in Mikoto's hands, she had asked Kakashi to spar with Goku and improve his swordsmanship. She had her doubts about leaving two extremely competitive children to this, but she had no experience at handling a _katana_, and Kakashi's close proximity and condescending attitude were all Goku needed to get his ass in gear.

Kakashi was leagues ahead of Goku at the beginning, but his desire to not be made a fool of in front of Mikoto, not to mention his work ethic and voracious training regime, was beginning to level the playing field a little. He had gotten far more fluid with his attacks, and his heightened _chakra _control allowed him to vary the weight of the blade while he moved, changing it ever so slightly to increase the effort on his muscles. Training his body to be as fast as Kakashi's while handling a heavier sword was his main objective.

He could not be more wrong. The infinitesimal weight change served no purpose other than to get his ass raped by his g(r)ay-haired opponent. He had lost count of the number of times he'd eaten dirt at Kakashi's feet as he nonchalantly sheathed his sword, even whistling for dramatic effect. Sometimes defeat came so fast and suddenly that it had even earned pitiful glances from the stony-faced Kushina.

The difference between them was sheer experience, and the instinctive reflexes that came along with it as a side benefit. And there was only so much experience one could gather in a week, so Goku's plans at a surprise victory still lay in the future. For now, he was content with biding his time and waiting for that eventual catching-up.

He couldn't wait to get better.

_Just you wait, Kakashi. I'll beat that smug face of yours till you have to sip all your meals down through a straw._

* * *

One other thing he had gathered from his brief time outside Shenron's clutches was that his _Ki, _which he had sacrificed without any thought to the great dragon in exchange for his soul being released, had begun to regenerate. It was still minuscule, a mere drop compared to the ocean he had before, but it was still growing. His prediction that he would be back to a reasonable level in a decade and a half was a pretty accurate one.

_Shenron. _He remembered all those events now, all without major consequence. The psychological damage of that incident would never recede, as far as he was concerned, but at least he could retrace his steps back to the incident without feeling a strong urge to curl up into a ball and cry his heart out. It still gave him the occasional shudder, but apart from that it was practically gone from his subconscious.

In the last few days, certain..._other _recollections of the dragon had begun to reveal themselves, exiting the fog in his mind temporarily, only to re-submerge into oblivion. He clearly remembered certain events, like the sense of initial wonder, and the bliss he had felt while first merging with the dragon balls, becoming one with Shenron himself. He also felt like a certain phrase kept rising out of the mire far more than the others. It was sometimes a constant repeating whisper. It had become less prominent now, but sometimes, in the dead of the night, he still heard the baritone belonging to the Eternal Dragon speak out.

_In this new life of yours, you shall find the true meaning of death. _

_When the confines of the true dystopia shall encumber you, only then will you understand the hellishness of what you have unleashed._

_Fear not the consequences, and move on to this new world you are about to step into._

_For this dystopia will be let loose someday._

_Someday...someday..._

He often wondered what the premonition meant.

_What exactly was a 'dystopia' anyway? What consequences would I have to face? _

_And 'encumber'? Is it even a word? What the hell does it even mean?_

All this unnecessary contemplation always gave him a headache. He gave up on that line of thought, observing the forest around him. A very obvious animal snare lay below him, just waiting for the intended animal to get entangled in it. He had been waiting for five hours straight; as if in response, his stomach let out a massive rumble. He was beginning to get ravenous. He might have to get a little..._messy_ after all.

The _Hokage _had very ungenerously cut off his food money after his fifth mission. He was, after all, a salaried warrior, one employed to pull his own weight. He was being given money to provide assistance to people too feeble to help themselves. So far, what money he had gotten had disappeared in one meal, or rather half of it. Ichiraku was very surprised to hear about this sudden loss of funding, and had very kindly agreed to take a reduced amount, given Goku's significant contribution to the growth of his venture.

But even the _ramen _store owner's patience was beginning to wear thin, and Goku had to find a way to feed himself. This was his first day of game hunting. _Bring me the materials, and I'll make you all the food you want, Goku-kun..._ Ichiraku had cut him a deal, which Goku had accepted with great gusto. How hard could it be to catch a few chickens and goats? _Cows would be the easiest,_ he reasoned.

He'd managed to easily get himself a few with his bare hands, and had gotten a couple of meals from it, but he did not have that kind of time to waste everyday on trivialities such as capturing his own food. He had to learn how to hunt without physically being there. It seemed like a piece of cake; all he had to do was set a trap.

Oh, it was _so _not easy. Catching Haramaki-_san _capricious cat was peanuts compared to the difficulty his current task presented. Kushina had chuckled loudly when he had asked her for advice on how to hunt. She had simply laughed and laughed until the red-faced teen had slunk away, too ashamed to face the stares he and his hellish monster of a _sensei _were getting from the passers-by.

Reading books had told him all the theoretical knowledge he could get. Now the main task at hand was assembling the damn snare, and getting a rabbit or some other small animal to take the bait. This was far harder than he'd expected. After quite a lot of self-inflicted cuts, string burn and a very eloquent set of 'adult' expletives which would have shrivelled the ears of anyone listening, he had managed to set the trap.

He had waited for a whole day. _Nothing. _It then dawned upon him that no rabbit would be stupid enough to enter the village, forget coming into his apartment.

_(Cue laughter track. Cue sarcasm from author.)_

Finally, he'd managed, after much hard work and starvation(his cup _ramen _stock had run dry), to catch one of the white furry creatures. Taking it proudly to Ichiraku, he had presented his catch. The entrepreneur had been less than impressed. Forking over a single bowl of only plain beef noodles, he'd told Goku to step up his game if he wanted more food.

Goku had almost given up on life at that time. With the sort of wisdom that only comes with advanced hunger, he had contemplated eating in moderate amounts to reduce his spending, but the thought of rationing his food drove a wedge through his soul. He had to eat, and the money for it had to be sourced somehow. But he knew negotiations of pay weren't exactly his forte. That particular conversation with His Eminence might just end up with him earning _less_ than before.

Goku gulped. He now had no choice, but for _her. _He had to ask Uchiha Mikoto for advice. He remembered that day clearly, remembered his embarrassment as he whispered his weaknesses into her ear. He remembered the retarded look on his face as she perplexedly asked him, _'Isn't there a mess near your apartment? All you can eat for 600 ryo a month?'_

That was the day he gave up trying to get on Kushina's good side. For she was Hell incarnate. She'd merely watched as he burned away through his pockets to eat mere scraps, all the while laughing internally. _I think she will continue to screw with me until the day I die... _He turned away, already torturing a voodoo doll of the redhead in his mind. He'd heard Mikoto's giggles in the background, and turned to see the Uchiha trying unsuccessfully to control herself.

_'Sorry, Son-kun,' _she'd apologised, _'we were just trying to see how long it took you to figure it out...' _She had been a part of it from the very beginning. Oh, Kushina was diabolical, truly diabolical indeed. Goku had resolved to never fall for this kind of mind games ever again, even though he knew he was helpless in front of her schemes.

Returning to the present, the Saiyan was startled by a sudden movement underneath him. Without making a sound, he opened a single eyelid and looked down. A rabbit had finally decided to grace Goku with its presence. Sniffing at the bait inside the snare, it looked so vulnerable, out in the open like that.

_Come on, just a little closer... _Although his food needs were taken care of, he still continued with his hunting training. It would be invaluable when they finally got a outfield mission. The D-Rank scroll was almost empty now, and the _Hokage _had mentioned that after this short weekend break, they would get their first C-Rank assignment. It would be a well-deserved reward for the overworked team of three. These were the first team in the history of the village to be overworked by choice.

Observing its actions for a full five minutes, Goku got too bored to sit and wait. Very silently, he unsheathed his black blade. Willing _chakra _into it, he took vary careful aim. Simply dropping the sword, he watched it fall. His mind cringed, but he forced his eyes to remain open. The blade glinted in the slanted mid-morning sunlight as it dropped onto the unaware rabbit. Entering slightly to the right of the poor rabbit's vertebrae, the heavy sword went clean through. Problems of tissue resistance weren't a concern, due to the sheer mass of the sword.

Exiting near the chest, it drove itself in the ground. Goku had managed the weight such that it slowed sufficiently as it went through, pinning the rabbit to the ground without letting it touch the earth. A _clean kill, _Kushina had called it, while teaching him the same method with a _kunai _weighted with a stone. He had gotten pretty good at both the _kunai _method and the black blade, but he was too bored to find a suitably heavy stone this time.

He had tried to harden himself to the experience, but he still gave a little shake of his head. He never liked this part of hunting; catching the damn thing was fine, but skewering it with a sharp implement was still a pain to watch. He had let Chi-Chi take care of all the animals he'd caught. He knew the irony of that situation, but there was a certain coldness to killing in this way that his mind hadn't arrived at yet.

Goku knew that assassinations, espionage and all-out war existed in this world of _shinobi, _and that he had to harden himself to the fact that when cornered in a _kill-or-be-killed _scenario, he would have not choice but to attack, thrusting his blade into his enemy's heart from in between the ribs. It was a move that Kakashi had taught him, and Goku still had a few nicks on his chest where the grey haired prodigy had lightly touched him to show that a kill strike was possible, and that he was dead in that particular round.

Releasing his grip on the branch, Goku dropped down to the ground, and picked up the sword gingerly, so as to not dislodge the rabbit. A thin stream of blood had flowed from the wound in its chest, rolling down the black blade. Goku was disappointed; he had missed by a quarter of an inch. As he removed the dead thing from his sword, he heard footsteps in front of him. Obvious, unconcealed footsteps.

He didn't even look up. Placing the rabbit to a side, he started digging a firepit. He also had to learn how to cook his own meat, Kushina had said. He heard the footsteps stop in front of him, a few yards away. He still remained focused on his job, and still would have been doing it had his visitor not roughly yanked him to his feet by his hair.

Angrily, he planned on giving Kakashi a punch in the face for this stupidity. Drawing back his fist, he was about to throw a haymaker to his genitals, when a female voice startled him.

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to do that..."

Surprised, he looked up at the woman who'd accosted him so rudely. It was the lady who'd healed him, after the debacle with the assassins. Her blonde hair was very light, almost bordering on white. He had no idea what she was doing here. Disentangling himself from her grip, he took a few hasty steps back. Watching her with a guarded, careful gaze, he asked her, "What are you doing here?"

"No hellos, I see. Such an impolite child," she said, crossing her arms beneath her chest. Goku tried not to look, but his hormone-addled brain could see nothing else for a good five seconds.

"W-what do you want?" he managed, dragging his eyes back to her face.

"You seem to be an interesting kid, I hear..." Her gaze never wavered. Goku was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Really? What have you heard?" Goku said hesitantly.

"Oh, things..." she said, still looking directly at him.

_"You are a kid, right?" _

That one nearly threw him off completely.

"O-o-of c-c-course, w-w-what d'you mean?" he sputtered. What did this lady know about him?

The stern face suddenly broke out into a smile.

"Just kidding," she laughed. Goku gave a nervous smile, not really feeling all that relieved. _Just another second..._His mind prodded him. Slyly, out of the corner of his eyes, he tried to sneak another peek of the lady's ample...

"Are you staring at me, you little perv kid?" the motherly words sounded eerily similar to Kushina's deceptive calm before her eventual hurricane.

"No, NO!" Goku's crimson face betrayed his lie. There was no getting out of this now. She'd seen him peek, and he had no good excuse for it.

"I'll let it slide, this once, all right?" the Saiyan's jaw dropped to the ground. Here he was, expecting this belligerent woman to beat the stuffing out of him, and then this? _There's something very wrong about this entire scenario. A very scary situation, this..._

"Anyway, forget about that," the lady was about to start her main discourse, it seemed.

"Wait, ma'am," Goku interrupted with the most deferential word from his vocabulary. "Could you tell me your name? I'm Goku, by the way..."

"Ah, right..." She had paused a little before that answer. Clearly, she wasn't used to people not knowing who she was.

"The name's Tsunade. Glad to see you aren't named as stupidly as you look," Goku didn't even react to that one. Kushina had abused him plenty of times. For women such as them, insults were a way of bonding, quite like most people he knew from back then.

_Vegeta would have found this lady pretty interesting, I think..._

"Anyway, I haven't come here for small talk." Tsunade clearly was not one who beat around the bush. "There is something which you can do, as part of your team, which no other person, or even team, can achieve."

Goku had no idea what she was talking about. "You mean the team of _Genins _I belong to?"

She nodded. "As you already know, I specialize in medical _ninjutsu._" Oh, Goku knew. Her healing _chakra _weaves were a thing of beauty. The quickness and skill with which she had closed all his wounds and replaced his blood was phenomenal.

"Thanks for that, by the way," Goku realized he hadn't thanked her for doing that for him, a complete stranger.

She brushed away his gratitude with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Never you mind about that. I actually came here to ask you whether you were interested in learning how to be a medical _shinobi._"

Goku was a little taken aback. "Why me specifically?" he asked Tsunade.

Not that he had any complaints about learning such fine _chakra _control methods. They could just as easily be used elsewhere, maybe to improve his _Kamehameha Rasengan, _or whatever he made by pushing two of those things into each other.

"You are one of the few people, barring the now-dead Uzumaki clan, who seems to have the massive _chakra _necessary to pull off some of my more advanced techniques," she replied. "I have managed to develop patterns far more complex and powerful than what I used on you the other day."

Goku was impressed, very so. The healing he had seen was almost a miracle in itself, but there was something more advanced than _that_? His mind itched to simply agree with whatever Tsunade said and become a freaking doctor.

"Also, your team seems to be the only exception to the three-man cell rule set by that retarded old _Shodai ji-jii..._" Goku gulped at that last part. Kushina had drilled the concept of ranks to the Saiyan during one of their training slash trivia sessions. He was a _Genin, _above which came the _Chuunins, _followed by the _Jonins. _She and Mikoto were _Chuunin, _and Minato was a _Jonin, _hence he had been given the responsibility of handling a team.

Anyway, her ranting against the _Shodai _seemed a little too harsh to come from any random _shinobi's _mouth. She had to be at least a _Jonin, _and a pretty influential and strong _Jonin _at that. Somehow, _ji-jii_ seemed too personal to be for anything other than family. But what did he know? He still never managed to refer to him as anything but His followed by random honorifics.

"I have talked to Sarutobi-_sensei, _and he has given me permission to do as I please." _Wait wait wait. Sarutobi-SENSEI? Just how many connections does this lady have? _Goku now knew who to talk to when he needed to get shit done. Somehow, Tsunade seemed to know everyone in the village.

"So, what do you say, kid? Want to become my apprentice?" it was a direct, brazen question. Goku liked her no-mincing-words style of speech. No unnecessary flattery, just a simple acknowledgement.

"What would I have to do? Don't I have to do missions and my other training with Kushina?" If he had to fit this in to that packed schedule, he would most certainly die from overexertion.

"Oh it won't come to that, I think," Tsunade replied. "After you take the _Chuunin _Examination and pass, you will be allowed to take up whatever subjects you want to study, a specialization, of sorts. Think of this as a future offer. I will take a few of your weekends in the future, and as you progress to a _Chuunin, _I will then properly train you, and you can choose to do nothing else. Missions, though, you will have to manage along with all this."

Goku both winced and whooped at this. His driving force and motivation had received another boost. He had to beat Kakashi, and become a _Chuunin _as fast as he could. The next few months of his life had gotten even more interesting, if that was even possible.

He let out an excited giggle, and was very surprised when nothing but a squeak came out. For a second, he was thoroughly confused, but then he realized what had happened. Tsunade had given a smile as well. Goku's voice had begun to crack.

_Oh, gee, thanks Shen-retard-ron... Now I have to go through this weird phase all over again. Add that to the already present feelings I'm beginning to have for Mikoto... oh crap. _

He had completely forgotten about it. He had asked her out for lunch. Looking at the sun, it seemed like it was almost time. And here he was, all sweaty and covered in rabbit blood, talking to a complete stranger about training.

"We shall commence with this tomorrow, then? We also have to consider your rather _special _status in the village, of course..."

"I'm really sorry, but could we do this another time? I'm really late for something..." Goku hurried away, leaving a very indignant Tsunade in the forest.

Despite her annoyance at the current generation, Tsunade let out a gentle laugh. Goku was quite something else indeed. She had never looked upon anyone from the eyes of a doting _sensei _before, and _Kami_ forbid she ever will, but Goku kind of reminded her of Nawaki's quirky attitude and carelessness.

_You go on to your 'important thing', but don't forget, you shall be in hell tomorrow until you apologise._

_A hell created by me._

* * *

Goku sprinted till his little rented apartment, jumping in through the window. He was tracking the entire mud and dust from the streets onto the _tatami _matting; there would be a massive uproar if Kotonoha-_san _found out. He didn't care, though. Checking the wall clock, he realized he still had a few minutes left. Stripping quickly, he leaped into the shower, kicking the shower faucet open. As the tepid water flowed over his body, he thought about Tsunade's offer. _It most certainly seems like something I would never go for. But that's the point, isn't it?_

Washing off the grime, he dried himself by steaming _chakra _out near his skin, taking the water particles out of his various surfaces. Collapsing them into one single ball, he marveled at it's brown, muddy appearance. It seemed that he still hadn't washed completely. He donned his last clean _gi, _and jumped out of the window again, landing heavily on the adjacent wall face. Climbing up, he calculated a direct path to Ichiraku's. He was the fastest among his team of _Genins _when it came to traversal; nobody could beat him at that. It was a testament to the physical abilities ingrained in the Saiyan from generations of battling and warfare.

Elevating impossibly from the final building in his course, he soared through the midday sun, and hit the ground running. A last turn, and he would be in front of the _ramen _restaurant. One of many Ichiraku's now; the proprietor, having gotten filthy rich off of those initial meal payments, had in turn made some very good investments. Skidding and grinding to a halt in front of a waiting Mikoto, he lifted and folded his hands in a gesture of apology.

"I see you've bathed and come today," said the Uchiha _Chuunin. _"That's a major improvement, I must admit. For just that, do you seriously think I'll forgive you being _a_ _whole hour late?_"

Goku was confused. He had checked the time at home, and there was still time left. He repeated that to Mikoto, who was clearly fuming. The look on her face did not change one bit. " Did I not tell you to wind that stupid clock yesterday? It only lasts a week, and I was the one who wound it the last time as well!"

_Oh no. _Ashamed, the Saiyan hung his head down. It was one less hour he got to spend with Mikoto, and that made him feel a little melancholy. Suddenly, as that thought hit him, he wondered where it came from. He had loved Chi-Chi with all his heart, but he always prioritized training over spending time with her, he recalled guiltily. This though, was different. Somehow, thinking about Mikoto made him want to drop everything and rush to her side, and spend all his waking hours with her, in her company.

"I'm really sorry, Mikoto!" he apologised profusely. "I really wanted to come on time, but..."

"You don't have to waste your time on apologies, Son-_kun_," her sweet smile had returned. In the afternoon light, she was a breathtaking spectacle, standing in the soft breeze, with the skirt of her dress fluttering slowly. It was a moment of natural light every artist dreamed of. Goku could barely contain his stare. He felt flushed, and his heart began to race a little.

* * *

**_For more romantic bullshit, please refer to the nearest available shoujo manga. That will be all, thank you._**

* * *

"Anyway, lunch?" Mikoto seemed eager to put his tardiness behind her. Thanking his lucky stars, he stepped up beside her, five inches shorter than Mikoto. At five-seven, Mikoto didn't really pass for very tall, but she held her own amongst the slightly shorter five-six Kushina and the taller five-eight Tsunade. The only other girl he knew in the village, Rin, was a measly five-four or so. She was still thirteen, so she had at least a couple of inches of growing room.

Goku's growth spurt was still to hit yet. His voice had begun to deepen a little, but then would come the spurt that, according to his calculations, would take him beyond the six feet mark with an inch to spare, if not more. Oh, that would be amazing; to hold his head a nice two inches above the five-eleven Minato. Kakashi was his height right now, he expected them to be neck and neck in terms of height as well.

Obito would probably be the runt in the group. Goku projected his height to a sad five-nine, if not less. But that didn't matter. All the patching-up he'd received had to have done him some good, maybe resulting in him getting taller, maybe? The Uchiha still lay in hospital, but he was going to be cleared for discharge soon, along with Minato. His psych work-up was done as well, and the doctors had rendered him fit to resume his duties as a _Jonin _and a _Genin _team leader.

They walked up to the large, sprawling joint. Goku remembered the last meal he had eaten here; a lousy bowl of beef _miso ramen. _Today was his _senpai's _treat, so he had come with his stomach half full from breakfast. Eating well was another question when it was his money; he didn't want to bankrupt her. Ordering moderately, he chose items that would fill his stomach as well as being cost-effective. Mikoto, as she was not a retard, noticed immediately.

"What are you doing, Son-_kun_?" the Saiyan's blush gave it away.

"Nothing!" Goku tried to save it with a faltering attempt at a lie. "I'm not very hungry..."

_BRRUMP._

His empty stomach had betrayed him yet again.

"Sheesh, Son-_kun,_" Mikoto chided. "Why don't you act your own age for once?"

There was an awkward silence. Mikoto drew his gaze to hers, eyes solemn and questioning.

"You _are_ thirteen, Son-_kun_, correct?" there was serious doubt in her eyes.

Goku did not know how to respond.

"Yes, Mikoto, I am..." he lied through his teeth.

She seemed reassured, at least for the moment. There was a lingering disbelief in her eyes, as though she still didn't completely believe him yet. The rest of the lunch was completed in sheer silence.

* * *

As he trudged back to his quarters in a very bad mood, Goku tried to think of ways in which the conversation could have been avoided, but his mind came up with none. He slammed the main entrance to his apartment behind him, ignoring Kotonoha-_san's _protests. Stomping upstairs, he flopped down onto his bed like a dead fish. Holding his face in his hands, he yelled out, burying his face in a pillow to muffle the sound.

_WHY, KAMI, WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME?_

An afternoon of self-loathing was going to follow this. He knew it was inevitable. As he prepared for his customary cup of leftover _ramen _to munch sullenly as he wallowed in his misery, there was a rap on the window. Goku didn't look at first; it was probably someone stepping off his window pane, probably another _Genin _team doing their last few rounds of training.

Then, the entire pane broke, glass fragments flying everywhere. Hatake Kakashi lowered his heel, a frown on his eyebrows.

"You weren't answering the doorbell, so I tried the window. When you didn't give a fuck then as well, I actually had to _try _it." he said, in lieu of an apology.

Goku had had his share of sadness today. "What do you want now?" he asked laconically.

"I want you to get that sad ass of yours off that bed, and come with me to the hospital. They're discharging Minato-_sensei _today." The grey-haired boy replied. As an afterthought, he added, "and that retard Obito as well..."

Goku lightened up at the news. Because of Mikoto's information, he knew that his _sensei's _outburst and crazy attacks weren't his fault. Some _Genjutsu _had been placed on the blonde _Jonin, _causing him to overreact in such a violent fashion. Because of that, he was excited to meet Minato again, unlike the other two in his team. Kakashi definitely looked like he had a few choice words prepared for this very occasion. He knew that they would be just as _colorful _as he imagined. Rin too, was pretty upset about it, despite her silent outward behaviour.

"Come on," Kakashi beckoned. "Let's go!"

Goku threw the _ramen _cup at him playfully. Dodging it with ease, Kakashi leapt off the windowsill. Goku followed suit, matching his rival pace for pace all the way to the _Konohagakure General Hospital._ Jumping across impossible distances, scaling large walls with their feet barely even touching the surface, they were in complete lock step, and in perfect sync with each other.

Goku was holding back on purpose. Even though he was clearly the faster of the two, now was not a time for competition. It was one of teamwork, to build his coordination with Kakashi to allow for better combination offensive and defensive sequences during battles with the enemy. Maintaining a good pace while still in phase with one another was the easiest way to achieve said teamwork.

Kakashi, however, thought otherwise. Speeding up a little, he threw an open challenge to the Saiyan. Goku complied, also increasing his pace, but just enough to lock steps with him again. There was no need to rush this. Even the cocky gray-haired prodigy knew when he was outmatched. After the initial provocation, there wasn't enough time or distance left to start a full sprint.

They landed in front of the hospital entrance after leaping off a rooftop in a horizontal fashion, and soaring through the air first, before landing before a waiting Nohara Rin. She greeted the both of them with a nod, the one to Goku as perfunctory as the love she sent to Kakashi in the nod she gave him.

The three entered, heading towards the outpatient room. Goku remembered the place with a bitter taste in his mouth. He hated the overly clean surroundings, the smell of disinfectant, and most of all, the outrageous food they served. Even among all this, he particularly detested the vaccination shots the doctor had given him. It had taken five nurses, all big and brawny, to hold him down for the second needed for the physician to insert the needle into his ass.

He saw one of them as he passed, the shortest one of them, who Goku had kicked in the chin during his struggle. He was wearing a full chin brace, and his jaw was covered with plaster. The Saiyan gave him a sheepish smile, and moved on a little quickly.

Reaching the room, he saw the two of them lying on beds, but in their plainclothes. They were waiting for their final discharge papers to be signed, and then they would be free. Next to Minato's bed stood the red-haired Kushina, and sitting in the chair next to her was Mikoto. Goku had expected her to be there. Out of sheer awkwardness, he averted his eyes, and from the corner of his vision, saw her do the same. He gulped internally. That was not the way he had expected things between them to become.

"I'm sorry!" were the first words out of the blonde _Jonin's _mouth. "I really should have been more careful, and kept a check on my anger. I heard it was caused by a _Genjutsu?" _Kushina was looking red in the face. Clearly she had a lot to say. Minato muted his voice, waiting for his girlfriend to let loose.

"I'm not even going to rant again about how irresponsible that was. You already know, my retarded boyfriend," Kushina made a gesture to Kakashi. "You have given these children some scars that will probably never be healed again, save by Tsunade's miracles," Kakashi unconsciously felt the spiral scar on his chest. Minato looked away, too embarrassed to face his students.

"Anyway, ranting aside," Kushina had some important news to give; she would never end a lecture on that note. "I have a few pieces of news for you guys. The _Hokage-sama _has informed me that Minato's team would be taking on an outfield C-Rank mission, upon their _Jonin-sensei's _recovery. Now that Minato is fighting fit again, you shall accompany him to the _Sandaime's _chambers, where it will be assigned to you."

"You've finished the D-Rank scroll in a month?" Minato was impressed. Kushina nodded as well; respect was deserved there.

"Also, this C-Rank mission would be of a probationary nature, both for Minato's fitness as a _Jonin-sensei, _and the abilities of his team." Kushina continued, "Only if this mission is completed will you get designated as an official four-man cell, the first one ever created. That would make you entitled to a variety of things, such as..."

"Screw that." Kakashi had found his voice again. "Why don't we do missions simply as an unofficial team? I'm sure we won't have to go through the hassle of registering and all..."

Kushina had her dangerous smile on again. Minato instinctively grabbed the upper garment of Goku's _gi. __Such disrespect towards the red devil shall not be tolerated. _Her eyes shone like embers, as though reflecting the colour of her hair. _Habanero, _she had been named, aptly, in fact, by the scared children in her locality. Goku knew he was about to witness her in the full force of anger.

The reaction, in fact, was quite anticlimactic. She drew a big breath, and exhaled loudly. Closing her eyes, she seemed to count to ten, and her facial expression calmed visibly. "If you had let me speak, you little runtlet," she continued, voice steady. "you would have realized that I was about to name your freaking incentive in all this. For this group, at least for two of you in this group, an important deadline is approaching."

Kakashi looked stunned as he remembered, then he nodded in understanding. Goku merely looked stunned; he didn't get jack shit. Kushina rolled her eyes in exasperation. "The _Chuunin _Exam application deadline, retard... " she sighed. "The actual examination is in a year, but applications and recommendations are supposed to be submitted by _Jonins _eleven months in advance, to allow the strained villages a chance to rally together for once, and create peaceful treaties for the respective applicants to arrive to Konoha by the stipulated date."

Goku still hadn't understood. "Umm..." he started, but a wave of Minato's hand stopped him. Kushina wasn't done talking.

"So, you have to submit your letter of intent to Minato before three weeks from now, at the latest, and he has to give it in by a week after that."

_I had no idea I would have to decide so soon, _mused the Saiyan. _Although, asking for Mikoto's opinion will take quite a while now, considering our rather strained relations... Just kill me now and be done with it, Shenron._

"But," the Uzumaki still had more to say. Even Kakashi looked bored now. "You people have to be an official, registered team until then, and those papers take a week to get processed. Even if an exception were to be made with respect to the date of submission of the applications, you'd still have to be official by that time. So, this mission is your only chance. Do it badly, and you lose your chance of becoming a _Chuunin _for the next year, maybe even two."

"So, you have to report to the _Hokage's _chambers at five thirty, today evening. There, you will receive your briefing. I really don't know more about this one, so you'll have to find out for yourself. Minato, let's go. I still have to have a private word with you before you leave."

Mikoto knew what _private word _meant. She was about to pout with disgust, when she looked over at Goku's smiling, excited face. Both he and Kakashi were extremely fired up. _An unknown C-Rank mission after all we've dealt with, and an outfield one too boot. Not to mention what's riding on this..._

They looked at each other, determined to outshine the other in this one mission.

_Bring it on, baby..._

* * *

**It shall definitely be brought on in the next chapter.**

**The mission shall again be the multi-POV narrative style I've followed in the previous chapters.**

**Bitch please. That format works. You want to know what everyone is thinking. **

**Everyone's perspective is important. ****Even yours.**

**Keep reviewing, people, especially Boyzilla, Azure Saiyan, Andromeda Alpha, Starbot, and Effectivesage.**

**Oh wait. Optimus610, you too. Critical comments are appreciated. They give me a better perspective of my own writing.**

**Everyone else, too, thanks for the reviews.**

**Peace out.**


	13. Assignment

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Oh, by the way, you should check out the inspiration for this story, over at SomeDamn Author's.**

**It's called The Path of God, and it plays on the exact same basic premise, but takes it down a wholly different road.**

**It's really cool, and, to put it in one word, _dark_.**

**Anyway, after that medium-sized hiatus due to exams and such stuff, let's go on with the story.**

* * *

**_Chapter 12 : Assignment_**

* * *

The sun was out, and the entire village of Konoha seemed vivid and resplendent. Uchiha Obito walked with a spring in his step, right on the main street. His orange eye protectors were on, giving the entire market district a distinct shade of the same colour.

He was supposed to meet up with the other three people in his team at the HQ. Minato-_sensei _was going to be there, and together they were going to undertake a C-Rank mission together! Despite his already good mood, that thought in his head brought him fresh joy. It was a struggle not to burst out into song and dance right in the middle of the road, but common sense prevailed over his euphoria.

He was pretty early; the Uchiha had not gotten a wink of sleep at home last night. His mother had cried and hugged him as soon as he had returned, his dad shedding a tear as well. After having eaten the heaviest dinner he could, Obito had then tried to pass out gleefully on his own bed, in his own room. But sleep simply refused to come. Thoughts about the mission, the world outside Konoha, and the chick he would be seeing it with, were quite the eye-openers.

Stepping up to the main entrance of the HQ, he turned and waited. His teammates would be arriving soon. The _Genins _were never late; Kakashi and Rin both prided themselves on that. The new kid also seemed responsible, given what little he'd seen of him. _I'm just hoping I get to know him well enough to call my friend._

He heard footsteps to his left. Three separate sets of footsteps. Looking over, he saw the three walk up to him, Kakashi and Goku clearly bickering about something.

"No, you imbecile," ol' gray hair certainly wasn't one to mince his words. "I think your swordsmanship has actually gotten _worse _with time."

"Oh really?" the kid replied, attitude just as belligerent. "I'll definitely make you eat those words, moron. Guess who got a nick on your face yesterday? Oh, this guy right here..."

"Oh, come on..." Kakashi groaned. "That was the biggest lucky coincidence of all time, beating even the time I got my hands on a free copy of _Icha Icha _in the mail the other day..." he paused abruptly, as he realized what he'd just said, and who he had said it in front of.

Nohara Rin's eyebrows had touched the imaginary ceiling. "Kakashi-_kun_?" she called out to her fellow _Genin, _eyes incredulous. "Please tell me that you are not into that sort of dubious, unpleasant crap..."

Obito stifled a chuckle as he watched his rival stutter out his denial. _Oh no, I'm most certainly not a masked creep who reads teenage fantasy dating novels. Sure bro._

They walked up the stairs two at a time. Spirits were high, and their movements showed it.

* * *

Namikaze Minato was waiting outside the door. Knocking politely, he turned the handle and entered, motioning to the four teenagers to follow him.

The village elders were there, along with Sarutobi himself, and the skulking presence of Danzo in the room was enough to send a chill down Goku's spine.

_Man, I wish I never get onto his bad side... Although, that's not really in my control any more, is it?_

Hiruzen already had the mission scroll in his hands. He seemed dead serious. Even Minato's face was solemn and respectful, quite unlike the casual smirk he usually wore. Clearing his throat, the _Sandaime _began to brief them.

"So, this is your first C-Rank mission as a _Genin _unit. Before I proceed to brief you about the details of your assignment, I must commend you for keeping your promise. Taking on a challenge such as yours, and still completing the entire D-Rank scroll in a matter of a month is indeed impressive."

He paused for a moment, and smiled at them. "Anyway," he continued, "the mission that you will be receiving is quite the standard higher than your usual assignments." He unrolled the scroll, and began reading out a particular entry. "Your mission is to attend to some animal threats a neighbouring village is getting. It seems like the carnivores there are extremely aggressive and that five people have already died at their hands."

Rin gasped, a testament to her gender. The others merely listened on, nodding.

"You will have to go investigate the scene, and exterminate the threat. This is one of the more difficult C-Ranked missions in the scroll, but I believe your team, with _Minato _as your leader," he cast a very non-subtle glance at the yellow-haired _Jonin, _"can achieve this too with relative ease. You must prepare to leave at the earliest. I presume an hour will be enough. Get ready and meet up again at the village gate. I shall send word of your departure."

* * *

"I think they'll be a piece of cake," Obito was showing off again. Kakashi, Rin and Minato gave no fucks, knowing the Uchiha's propensity for chattering on about his fantasies as to how strong he was. Goku, on the other hand, seemed to be eating up everything the moron was spewing out like it was gospel. "I'll just use my fancy move, and they'll be begging for mercy in no time."

"Really, Obito?" before he actually began fangirling right in the middle of the street, Kakashi pulled the Saiyan away by the ear, rolling his eyes at Goku's gullibility.

They stood at the gate, knapsacks already on their shoulders, raring to go. Minato was saying his final goodbyes to Kushina, promising to return early, showering her with hugs, and all that cutesy lovey-dovey crap. The grey-haired teen realized that Goku wasn't the only simpleton in the group. Coughing extremely loud, he made his annoyance known to both of them.

Kushina actually _blushed. _It was like a blue moon had suddenly decided to dance a jig. Pushing away her significant other towards his bored team, she sprang away, unable to contain her embarrassment any longer. _I had no clue she was capable of that. But well, Obito still hasn't fallen head first into a pit yet, so I guess miracles do happen._

They notified the two _Chuunins _at the gate, entered their departure details into the journal, and quickly hefted their bags and left. The sense of adventure was returning now, after those lame goodbyes. Kakashi picked up speed, and was glad to see the rest of them keep up, Obito barely so. Flitting through the treeline like a bunch of monkeys on crack, they headed toward their destination, the Village of the Snow.

It turned out that their excitement slowly died out once they realized the monotony of pedal travel. Goku once slipped on a branch and hit his head on the next tree trunk, and it was pretty hilarious, but apart from that, their journey was pretty silent and uneventful.

Except that it wasn't.

Not even an hour after they'd started, Minato called a sudden halt. As the _Genins _gathered around him, he gestured for them to be silent. "I sense _chakra _in that direction, a couple klicks away. I do not think these are friendly men. Expect things to get messy." Curt, short instructions followed. All but one of the teenagers nodded, understanding the military jargon immediately. Goku merely looked confused, playing the part of the idiot who later gets himself killed.

Minato looked at each one in turn, a clear question in his eyes. _Did you get that? _Rin, Kakashi and Obito nodded _Yes._ Goku almost spoke out loud about how confused he was, but he held himself back at the last second, remembering Minato's initial instructions.

Another few seconds passed. The _chakra _got closer; everyone could sense it now. These guys were strong, there was no doubt about it. At least _Chuunins. _Plural. The team manoeuvred themselves into defensive positions, Kakashi taking cover behind a tree, Obito crawling into the underbrush, and Rin concealing herself on top of a branch. There was a note of seriousness about their actions that made Goku's hair stand on end. _Just how strong are these guys?_

"You are going to act as bait, Goku. Get it?" Minato looked him in the eye. Goku nodded, not knowing whether he was going to fight or not. "Just stay put and let them come to you. You are to act as a diversion, so that we can ambush them while their backs were turned." Clear instructions, all of which sailed miles above the confused Saiyan's head. He'd never trained for situations like these, unlike the detailed lessons the to-be _Genins _received at the Academy. He nodded dumbly, which the _Jonin _took to be understanding.

"All right. Let's do this." With a sudden flash, Minato disappeared. Goku stood there, completely bamboozled. As the incoming _chakra _got closer, he stood there on the forest floor, feeling all whiny and abandoned and whatever other crap one feels when betrayed. So when the _Kumogakure shinobi _arrived, he was standing in a corner, sulking like a child.

At first, there was a moment of consternation as the four _Chuunin _had no clue as to why this Konoha child was standing with his back to them, lips clearly visible from that angle, pouting like crazy. It soon cleared, though. The tension between the villages still hadn't died down, despite all superficial appearances of peace talks and passive, cowardly treaties. They formed a tight pincer hold around Goku, who didn't seem to care in the least about the threat that had descended upon him.

They pounced, silent as the night. Even as they closed in, something felt off about the whole situation. The kid wasn't reacting in the least; it almost seemed like he was ignoring them _on purpose._

_I'm never entering Konoha territory again, _all of them thought in unison. _It's filled with psychopaths._

With a sudden glint in his eye, Goku turned, ducking under the first _shinobi's _attack, thumbing the hilt of his sword. As the second one approached, he flicked the sword up, increasing the mass as it left the sheath. The incredibly heavy blade's hilt crashed into the chin of the advancing _Chuunin _with devastating results, sending him reeling back, holding his broken lower jaw in pain.

The others noted the sudden offensive that Goku had taken, and took a defensive step back. And before they knew it, the three other _Genins _were onto them, Kakashi dropping silently and effectively to break the first one's neck, Rin kicking out at the exposed back of another, and Obito, as usual, stumbling and falling like the embarrassment he was.

Goku watched with increasing alarm as Obito struggled to get to his feet. The enemy was on him, and was about to strike. One small second later, he was falling to his knees, assassinated by Minato's specially-made _kunai._ Obito cowered for a second, then stood up hastily, not wanting to appear like a _total_ loser. Kakashi and Rin were standing over their respective victims, looking proud as all hell. _Looks like the extra training we did helped a lot, huh, _Goku mused to himself, relaxing his guard for a second.

"Goku! Kakashi! Rin!" Minato screamed. "LOOK OUT!"

As the three started and looked at their opponents again, they realized the _Kawarimi__ no Jutsu's _aftereffects. Three wooden logs lay near them, the one near Goku mutilated thoroughly by his earlier ferocious attack. They had no time to look around. Kakashi was the first to be ambushed. With a snarl _(I'm guessing)_, he spun around, barely deflecting the strong, _kunai-_wielding arm of the _Kumogakure Chuunin. _Taking a step back, he entered a passive stance, willing the confrontation into a tense stalemate.

Clutching his sword from his back, he drew it out, cracking his neck as he did so. His opponent took a single glance at the blade, and then redirected his gaze at the _Genin's _eyes. Taking a moment to size up his opponent, the dude then took out two specially-shaped implements out of his flak jacket. They were hand-blades, similar to the ones Asuma used. Pouring _chakra _into them, he began honing the edge, until it shone, giving out the very annoying, high-pitched whine of air molecules rubbing against each other.

Kakashi frowned at the noise. Anything that reminded him of his classmates was taboo, in his eyes. Adding to that, his opponent also lowered his face mask, revealing a goatee that made him look like a complete dimwit. Kakashi shook his head, trying and failing to conceal his disappointment.

_Damn, this guy's irritating._

Taking a quick stutter-step to the left, he went on the offensive immediately. The earlier he dispatched this nuisance to an early grave, the earlier he could go help Rin. The recent string of missions, coupled with their back-breaking training under Kushina had had its effect. Kakashi noticed the change in his footwork and sword movements as he made short work of the _Chuunin, _surprised by the lack of wasted motion in his swings. Goku had made him better as well.

Finishing his opponent off with a casual yet deadly thrust between his floating ribs, he had pulled the sword out, cleaned the blood off and re-sheathed it before the dude's body even had time to fall to the ground. Looking down with pity in his eyes, Kakashi said a silent prayer for the fool's soul. Looking up suddenly, he realized what he'd been doing. Face flushed, he waited for a second, scanning for witnesses to his soft moment. Finding none, he breathed a sigh of relief.

_Freaking retard tail-boy, _he mused angrily, _you're gonna turn me into some gay loser if I'm not careful._

* * *

Rin and Goku too, had been surrounded by the two others. Minato was still a distance away, but he was practically useless in this scenario, given that he had to manage Obito's whining as well. The two were back-to-back, pressed up close as the enemy circled around, waiting to spot a chink in their defence, waiting to go for the kill.

"You know what to do, right?" Rin whispered to her teammate. Goku nodded, lips tight with determination. They had trained under this scenario dozens of times, Mikoto and Kushina being the ones circling in on them. Kakashi and Rin were the only team of the possible three that had managed to pass that one, and that too after ten terribly failed attempts. Goku and Rin, and Goku with Kakashi had never managed not to get a red mark on their chests, a sign of being 'killed' by a wooden blunt training _kunai _dipped in red paint.

Goku recollected what the successful combo had done in that situation. Ducking suddenly, he waited until Rin's body passed over his own. Catching her waist with his arms, he lifted her into the air, propelling her towards one of the two attackers. Almost like they predicted, the other guy came in from behind, expecting Goku to be defenceless in that awkward, bent position. As Rin flew on, she turned suddenly, letting her palms face Goku.

It wasn't what the Saiyan had in mind, but he knew that position from many, many other training drills. Kakashi had let her go solo and had fended off Mikoto's advances with his_kunai _skill, plucking the wooden blade from her hand like it was a flower from a tree. Goku knew he didn't have that sort of fine control with his blade yet, so he had to improvise. He recalled Rin's earlier diffusion of Minato's _Rasengan. _Recalled a training exercise Kushina had made Rin perform, something about reflecting _chakra._

Meeting her eyes, he nodded imperceptibly. She too, responded with the same nod. Goku knew what he had to do. She would take care of things. Using his powerful abdominal muscles to keep his torso off the ground, he prepared two _Rasengans _in his hands, combining them as Rin planted her feet in an enemy's face. After a whole hour of thinking, he'd finally come up with a name for the technique. As Rin lifted off her face-platform, Goku fired his _Rasen-Kamehameha _right at her, the beam speeding towards her outstretched arms.

Obito's eyes widened with shock. He had never, never seen that move before, and to his eyes, it appeared as if Goku had suddenly done an about-face and aggressively launched an attack towards his own teammate. And because said teammate was Rin, Obito didn't even hesitate. Sprinting towards her, he was resolute. He was going to block it with his own body, to hell with the consequences of having a second mass of swirling _chakra _to serrate spirals into his torso again. _Man, that last one had hurt._

The fact that Minato hadn't tried to get there meant that there was no way the shorter, slower Uchiha was ever going to reach. As he stumbled, mind filled with a growing despair that he would lose the one person who mattered most to him, Rin pulled a crazy move out of nowhere. He saw a mirror of _chakra _build up in front of her palms, as the beam approached. Focusing through a sheen of sweat that threatened to blind her, she aimed the mirror and braced for impact. Goku's _Rasen-Kamehameha _had the destructive force of two _Rasengans _and more.

Goku smiled. He knew Rin would pull through. The _chakra _beam reflected squarely off of the flat surface Rin had created, and ploughed right into the advancing enemy _Chuunin._Converting the impact into motion, Rin flew backwards, slamming the blue heel of her sandal into the other opponent's face, sending him crashing into the nearest tree as well. Taking a very graceful follow-through from the kick, Rin landed neatly on her feet, as Kakashi and Obito looked on with awe and wonder plastered onto their expressions.

Goku picked himself off of the ground without using his hands; those planks had been very useful after all. Rin lifted her arm, not even looking up. Goku walked over, finishing their teamwork with a huge high-five.

Even Kakashi was grudgingly impressed. _Hmm, they do look cool right now._

Minato quickly checked the four downed _shinobi _for their status and vitals. They did not want them making a sudden resurgence. Going through the fourth one's jacket for intel, he motioned for the _Genins _to search the others. Strangely, they all seemed very ill-equipped for the sort of recon mission they appeared to be on. This was deep in Konoha territory, and they had almost no provisions, not to mention a strange lack of equipment.

Minato marvelled at how under-prepared the other villages were compared to the Hidden Leaf when it came to military strength. The Second Shinobi War had cost everyone greatly, although it had affected Konoha by the least by far. He walked up to the fourth, the only one of the set not yet killed; he was merely unconscious, and deeply so at that. It was going to take him at least twelve hours tor recover, and god only knew how he was going to provide for himself after that. War was something that merely caused destruction. Nothing good ever came out of it.

_Someone has to bring about peace to these lands again... _He mused.

"I'm telling you, it was _PLANNED_!" Hearing Goku's shout, Minato whipped his head around. The four were done, and Obito was taking this lull in the action to give Goku a piece of his mind.

"_SHUT UP!" _Obito was clearly furious, despite Goku and Rin's attempts to calm him down. "What if that _Rasen-_thing had hit her? Huh? Would you have healed her? Would you have erased those scars once they appeared, right on her..." he stopped, realizing what he was going to say. Rin blushed as well, and Kakashi chose this moment to swoop in and end it.

"If you hadn't made a fool of yourself, you scatterbrained nimrod," he began, sounding like he was reciting a grocery shopping list. "They wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place. So calm them titties, and shut the fuck up. Your voice is beginning to give me a headache."

Red-faced, Obito did keep quiet, although indignant protest still glowed in his eyes. Goku went over and put a hand on his shoulder, face serious. "I assure you, I wasn't trying to hurt her," he started. Obito seemed to understand; Kakashi's bland statement of the obvious had dulled his anger. Nodding, he gave Goku a tight-lipped grimace.

"Not yet, dude." he said. Somehow, his eyes conveyed the rest of the incomplete sentence.

_I'm not going to trust you completely yet._

* * *

Outside, the sun shone, blinding in its ferocity.

Yet somehow, in Orochimaru's self-fashioned laboratory, there always existed an everlasting darkness that the single candle flame did nothing to eradicate. The two figures standing there did nothing but enhance the atmosphere, multiplying the darkness around them.

Shimura Danzo knew that the next ten minutes were going to be a complete waste of time, as far as he was concerned, but to the _Sannin, _it was something he considered as interesting. Anything that got the pale-skinned laconic genius so riled up had to be worth watching for a while, at least.

Eyes glowing with unbridled enthusiasm, Orochimaru demonstrated his experiment to the man clad in bandages. He had again, using his combination of biology and _chakra, _created some muscle tissue with the boy's DNA in it. Tying it up with a barbed wire, he was testing the time it took for the muscle to regenerate and strengthen enough to break the wire and come free on its own. Every pulse of blood that ran through the arm drove it further into the sharp barbs, and blood trickled out in a steady drip from the wound.

As he had explained the concept to Danzo a few minutes earlier, he had mentally scoffed at the ridiculousness of the idea. Senju Hashirama's cells themselves were miraculous; building on their regenerative ability seemed almost impossible. Yet the great genius was claiming it was true, and that this was a revolution in terms of sheer ability.

As Danzo watched, skeptical at first, his eyes began to widen as the tissue grew with each cut; cells dividing and constructing _more _muscle where none existed. Soon, it began straining against the bonds that held it in place, fighting to free itself from the wounding wire. It went on for a full five minutes; in that duration, neither of the two had moved their gazes from the tissue one inch. And, with a sudden snap, the pulsating tissue breached the stress point of the metal, snapping through the wire. Within another thirty seconds, it had healed the line-shaped cut where the wire had dug in, becoming even more defined and powerful.

Out of the corner of his eye, Danzo noticed Orochimaru's smile. Exposing both his canines, it almost split his face, giving his already gaunt pallor an almost demented appearance. Despite all of the man's problems, he seemed on the verge of a breakthrough that would change the _shinobi _world.

That gave the two of them a second common purpose. They both wanted the eventual downfall of Sarutobi Hiruzen, and now, the little thirteen-year-old. Danzo wanted him eliminated, and Orochimaru wanted him for his experiments. That was the easy way out, simply transferring the boy over to the genius's care would solve that problem once and for all. Also, since he was contributing to the overall development of the village, any imaginary emotional qualms he might have had about letting the kid be experimented on were also dispelled.

Danzo kept his face impassive, but inside he held a great excitement. Finally, there was a chink in Hiruzen's armour; a small defect in his shell of ever-so-perfect behaviour that could be used against him. The snake-like man would definitely think of something. After all, there was enough motivation for him. Promising to hand over the kid after Hiruzen's downfall was complete was a good idea as well.

_I think this child will be the beginning of our tryst together, Orochimaru._

* * *

The party of five had finally gotten to the Village of the Snow. Goku was shivering like crazy, but ever since Kakashi had suggested that he had better cold resistance than the teenage Saiyan, there had been no going back. _In retrospect, this was the most retarded thing I've ever agreed to..._ Goku stifled another huge sneeze.

Rin, huddled in a warm coat, glanced sideways at her two pseudo-macho teammates, disdain evident in her eyes. Obito merely focused on spending as much time as he could to get closer to Rin, trying to show her his 'cool' side. Man, was he failing miserably. Rin clearly gave very little attention to the bumbling Uchiha, and all his boasts of swag fell on deaf ears. Somehow, even though he was appropriately clothed, Goku felt like Obito was the one who was naked.

Small houses had come into view, and they could see steam come out of the chimneys. Oh, a good fire would simply be the _best _thing right now. Kakashi had the grace to look relieved, though it was only for a second, before he realised what he was doing. Quickly, he shot a glance at Goku, wondering whether he had seen that moment of weakness. He saw the Saiyan smiling widely, teeth chattering.

_Fuck. THIS he sees._

They entered the main village street, heading straight for the largest hut there. Logic dictated that it was the HQ, or whatever equivalent these civilian villages had. Minato called a halt outside the main door, and turned to his team. "Let me enter first. I'll have a chat with the elders of the village, see that we are paid for our services, and then we'll get going."

"What?" Obito whined. "We don't get a breather?"

Minato looked at him sternly. "No. This threat is immediate, and has been classified as urgent. It means we have to complete it fast, or tonight more villagers will die. Do you want their deaths on your conscience, Obito?" somehow, the blonde made _Obito _sound like _Genin, _like it was a military officer addressing a subordinate. Obito shot into attention, back ramrod straight. "No, Minato-_sensei!_" Obito almost saluted.

"Right. Wait for me outside," Minato turned and entered the hut.

Goku suddenly reached inside his bag, taking out a sweater that Kushina had bought for him. He had had no clothes, and certainly no money when he had come into the village, so Minato and his red-headed girlfriend had helped him out a little. Everything from renting out an apartment, giving him clothes, to helping him fill out his _shinobi _registration form. Now that he earned his own salary, Goku had begun to pay them back for those initial favours, bit by bit.

Ignoring Kakashi's self-satisfied smirk, he put it on, grateful for its warmth.

"Just what do you think is troubling these people?" Rin directed her question directly at Kakashi. He shrugged.

"I dunno," he replied, teeth chattering even more. _I think he has forgotten his damn sweater, _Obito mused gleefully. _Let him suffer. _"I feel that there will be tigers or some animals like that, because they classified it as a C-Rank," Goku nodded.

There was no more conversation. It was simply too cold, and the four children were focused on keeping themselves warm. Kakashi was shuddering visibly now, but still trying to put on a brave face, like a little puppy facing a dragon. Rin couldn't help but feel sad for him. Rummaging in her knapsack, she dug out her favourite jacket, and handed it to the gray-haired genius.

"It's pink, but it'll keep you warm," she said, concern in her voice. Kakashi blushed, despite the cold, taking the sweater without a word. It was Goku's turn to flash a creepy, perverted smile. Going up close to Kakashi, he poked his elbow in, sliding up eerily. _"I see widdle pinky-boy forgot his sweater..." _he whispered, flaring Kakashi's already stretched patience.

"Okay, you little monkey shit," he flared up, then stopped as he saw people turn their heads and stare. Something was off, though. The four didn't really notice it until then, but there were a lot of _shinobi _in the village. This being a civilian town right in the middle of the great Shinobi Nations, it had a lot of ninja traffic, people using it as a lay-over in between long journeys. Obito, Kakashi and Rin immediately became self-conscious of the attention, and began moving awkwardly, suddenly aware of the hostile eyes on them. They were aware of the post-war tension.

Goku merely looked around like the lost retard he was, almost drooling over the variety of people he was seeing.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Minato came out of the hut to see three very tense _Genin _and one over-excited Goku raring to go. "All right," he said, gesturing for them to follow. As the party fell into step with each other, he began to brief them. "So there have been a sudden increase in rabid animal attacks over the last few days. It appears as though many different species have all decided to turn aggressive. Only a few of the attacks have had survivors left to report back to HQ. That is why the number of deaths that reached the Konoha request desk were so few. I guessed as much."

Goku snapped into focus. "So we have to track down these animals and put an end to them? Sounds pretty straightforward to me..." The other _Genin _nodded in agreement. "Maybe so, but you still need to be careful," Minato intoned. "It's not like they will just stay in one place and let you attack first. These are wild animals, used to fighting to the death. They will be dogged and persistent, so expect a long, drawn-out battle."

They took a certain direction out of the village, and stepped into the adjoining forest. The heavy snow made walking a little difficult, and every direction seemed the same. Minato kept them going at a brisk pace, and they searched out into the trees beyond or signs or tracks of the beasts.

Goku's foot plodded into the snow, and accidentally broke a stick. As he started, seven creatures jumped them from the surrounding trees. The five of them immediately entered a defensive pose, facing outward. Kakashi and Goku drew their blades. It was clear that hey would have to use them this time. Minato, Rin and Obito took out their _kunai, _preparing themselves.

As they circled around, Goku noticed that these weren't natural animals. Each of them had a distinguishing feature that made them look strange. Their base body structure resembled a wolf's, but their other minor characteristics were reminiscent of some different creatures. The most crazy thing about then was their eyes. Goku had never seen such eyes before. Irises crimson like pools of blood, the pupil was surrounded by three comma shaped spots slowly swirling around the centre.

He felt Minato tense up a little to his right, and Rin to his left as well. _"Sharingan," _they muttered under their breaths. _What the hell is that? _Goku wondered.

The Saiyan had no more time to think. The wolf-things had decided to attack. As it charged him and pounced, Goku lifted his black blade, blocking the deadly-sharp jaws from decapitating him. As the wolf took a step back, Goku made his move. Dropping his back, he moved forward using a little _chakra _to boost his speed, and swung diagonally, aiming for the center of gravity. That was the one point that couldn't move as fast, and had the least chance of dodging. He added no extra mass to his blade, going for speed instead of force.

But he was in for a crazy surprise. The edge of the _katana, _sharp as ever, _bounced _off of the wolf's skin, barely even grazing it. It aggressively countered, sliding under the blade, getting to Goku's unguarded side. Using his free arm, he rotated his torso and pushed aside the thing, preventing yet another dangerous bite. What he didn't notice was the second wolf coming in from the left. The outnumbering proved to be very useful, as it clamped onto Goku's left shoulder like a vice, tearing through skin and muscle, almost getting right to the bone.

Goku screamed out, falling to his knees. Minato whipped his head around, concerned. He was keeping the two hounds that were on him at bay with relative ease, scoring clean hits whenever they came in for the kill. The two wolves seemed pretty wounded, and were now stepping back, licking their cuts gingerly. Their disturbing red eyes still shone brightly, though, and no sooner did Minato try to help the struggling Saiyan, they had jumped forward again, wounds ignored like they were nothing. Within moments, the yellow-haired _Jonin_was sliced in a couple of places as well, and became busy with trying to stave off further injury. Goku was on his own.

The other _Genin _were in a similar state. Unable to read the wolves' movement, they were all succumbing slowly to the attacks. Kakashi was nursing his sword arm, a long gash on his bicep. Rin was hobbling on her good foot, trying to keep her weight off her injured calf. Obito was the only one of the party who was uninjured. It looked like he was making short work of his oppo...

_WAIT. THE FUCK? _Kakashi had noticed it as well. The Uchiha was fighting like the Devil himself, using his _kunai _with insane precision and timing, raping the wolf with the ease of taking the trash out. Something seemed to have stirred the teen into action, and some awesome action it was turning into. Elbowing the creature mid-pounce, he took out another_kunai _in the same fluid motion, stabbing the two clean into its heart with such force that the wolf flew backwards, crashing into the snow with a fountain of blood marking its trajectory through the air.

The others were mindfucked. This was simply inconceivable. What the heck had just happened? The wolves, which Minato had been hurt by, were taken out solo by that bumbling nimrod? Kakashi, in his state of shock took another nip in the thigh, but his brain ignored the stab of pain. Obito took a step forward, retrieved his blades, and looked quizzically at the others, surprise on his face. Kakashi then noticed the red in the Uchiha's eyes, that could only mean one thing. They had only two diametrically opposite commas, and were far from complete, but the retarded imbecile had done it.

Obito's _Sharingan _had activated.

* * *

The pause that ensued after that moment of swag was only for a split second, but for Kakashi, Rin and Minato, it seemed like an eternity.

So many unanswered questions. _How? When? Why now? And mother of freaking God, HOW?_

"Obito!" Goku's pained voice broke the silence. "A little help, please?"

The Uchiha started, and complied. Taking out the wolf biting Goku's shoulder with a savage yet perfect thrust to the head through its eye, he kicked it away, jaws having unclenched after its demise. Looking at Goku's expression, he nodded. His teammate would handle the other one. There was no need to do more. Rin and Kakashi too, seemed galvanized by Obito's little show-off stunt, and were confidently taking on their opponents, pain from their various injuries left behind. Minato was getting a move on, slashing and ducking between the two wolves, spinning and jabbing both of them at once.

Holding his shoulder with his free hand to stop the bleeding, Goku faced his wolf. Those strange red eyes seemed to be looking right at him, like they were never meant to gaze upon anything else. Bending down, never breaking eye contact, he packed some of the fallen snow onto the gash. It would help dull the pain, if only for a little while. The blood soaked through the white powder, turning it into a bright pinkish hue.

Returning to his feet, he gripped his sword hard, and advanced. Stuttering his steps like he had seen Minato do the first time they met, he swayed over to the wolf, blade ready in his hands. It took a step front as well, taking his challenge head on. Goku feinted to the left and jumped, arching his back like a drawn bow. Kakashi had demonstrated how ninety percent of the power for the move came from the back, not from the shoulders, like Goku had guessed.

Reaching the apex of his leap, he drove his blade down, making it as heavy as he could without dislocating his shoulders or increasing his wound. The wolf did not seem to understand the imminent danger, as it defiantly refused to move or dodge. The sword hit the wolf's body with a massive thud, but nothing gave. Well, nothing except Goku's hands, which were jarred all the way up to the shoulders. Wincing at the pain, the Saiyan let go of his blade. The wolf sensed the opportunity to strike and jumped again.

_How is it doing that? How are only my attacks not landing? _Goku wondered as he hastily took a step back, dodging his opponent's slash. As he racked his brains for a solution to the problem, it came to him. Obito had used the point of his _kunai, _while Goku had been using the entire length of his blade. The creature probably had enough strength to take the flat attacks directly, but thrusts were a different story.

As he had left his blade during his retreat, he took out a couple of standard-issue _kunai _from his belt pouch, eyes steeled with resolve. He noticed that the others had come to the same conclusion, and that Kakashi was done with his wolf. Rin was finishing off hers at the moment, and Minato seemed ready to start on his two. Goku faced his one, and sprinted forward with haste. He was not going to be the last one to finish. Stabbing the wolf's paw away, he drove one _kunai _right into a shoulder, repaying the earlier wound. He had thrust far more viciously than he'd thought, as the weapon drove into the shoulder bone and stayed there, stuck.

Using his other hand, he stabbed the wolf's body quickly in succession, one to the other hand, two to the chest, and one in the neck, then finished it off with the blade breaking through the forehead of the creature, right between its eyes. As it became limp in his hands, he kicked it hard, freeing his stuck _kunai._

With a deep breath, he stepped back. The work was done. He couldn't shake the dark feeling that he had gotten in the pit of his stomach, the dread that he had actually _enjoyed_killing the damn thing, mutilating the creature even after it was dead. Shaking his coat, he chose to let it go. It was self-defense only, he convinced himself. Quite the flimsy argument, but if it helped him sleep at night, it was enough.

Turning to the others, he saw Minato examining the dead wolf's eyes. Somehow, they had returned to normal, the mark of the insane _Dojutsu _eradicated. He saw the _Jonin _mutter to himself, something about 'conspiracy' and 'relations'. As for his teammates, Kakashi and Rin were surrounding a very smug Obito, who was showing off his new eyes to them, boasting about how he was the strongest in the group now.

Goku smiled wryly. The duo were never going to change; they were too headstrong to. The eyes still left him with a feeling of unease. Something felt off about the whole thing. It was too perfect. What if it was all orchestrated? Was someone after him? Goku gave his forehead a thump, annoyed at all these unnecessary thoughts. Letting his deadened arm dangle lifelessly, he limped to where his teammates were, a heated argument already beginning between the gray-haired genius and the Uchiha.

_Screw those questions. I don't have the time or patience to give a damn about these things._

* * *

**Medium-sized indeed.**

**This plot line is taking shape now, and I feel this can go on forever.**

**I'll continue down this road, making Orochimaru and Danzo the principal antagonists for now.**

**Expect a little GokuXMikoto in the next few chapters. I think it's time we opened that can of worms.**

**Reviewers, thanks a lot! You guys are the best.**

***shakes his head at the cliché***

**Anyway, keep reading, and giving me your opinions.**

**Thanks for the Rasen-Kamehameha, dude.**

**I think Guest is a strange name for a account, but whatever.**

_**(Those who didn't get that as sarcasm, you have nothing but my deepest contempt.)**_

**Damn, this is getting lame.**

**Cheers.**


	14. Premonition

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**OKAY. I've decided that I'm gonna write more consistently in the future.**

**This one's really taken off more compared to ARTH, at least where word count is considered.**

**I shall devote an hour twice a week or so, where I'll focus and get down to writing the plots rampaging through my head.**

**Here's hoping the committed effort pays off.**

* * *

**_Chapter 13: Premonition_**

* * *

_A clap of thunder, loud as all hell, shocked him back into consciousness._

_The rain had been pouring for days on end, with no respite._

_It gave everything a dull, monochrome hue, like a poorly shot film._

_The vignette effect seemed to intensify whenever he tried to focus on something, like he had developed a sort of tunnel vision._

_Goku hadn't woken up in his bed. Or anyone else's, for that matter. The Saiyan knelt on the wet grass, his entire frame soaked to the skin._

_The torrent fell heavily on his back; an incessant drumroll on his already soaked gi._

_He could not recall how he had gotten here. A small niggling doubt chewed away at the back of his mind._

_Something felt horribly wrong about the whole scenario._

_His ears caught the sound of a distant rumbling. The deep baritone, echoing through his body, was not something one heard every day._

_It unsettled him; he felt like he knew what that was, but wasn't quite able to place a finger on it._

_'What in the world is going on?' He wondered._

_He knew one thing for sure, though. That kneeling here smack-bang in the middle of nowhere was going to achieve nothing. He had to get up; had to go towards that faint noise. All the answers lay there. He knew it to be true._

_Not even waiting to check his surroundings, the Saiyan rushed through the gloom, determined to find out what abomination was causing the rumbling, so far away that he couldn't even see it._

_Another flash of thunder._

_He now stood next to the very thing that had set off his unease._

_It was humongous. Everything about it screamed out malevolence so intensely that the Saiyan felt his primal instincts urge him to leave._

_Even so, the warrior was trained to ignore such prudent warnings._

_Standing beside the fire-eyed leader of the village he called home, he resolved that he would bring an end to this._

_This madness had to stop. It had turned into a raving calamity, inflicted upon the faultless villagers through his own mistakes._

_The Kyuubi, whatever the hell that signified, had to die._

_The thought didn't sit right in his head._

_'What in heaven's name is the Kyuubi? How do I know what that monstrous fox is called?'_

_All these questions slid off his consciousness like oil on water._

_He forgot them as soon as they were asked by his confused mind._

_She had to be saved._

* * *

_Another one._

_It was closer this time, the boom of thunder taking far less time to reach him._

_He was on his back, lying on the ground in a tired daze._

_Huh?_

_His eyes were closed. Something wet was coating his hand, soaking through his gi._

_It was cold, deathly so. With a sudden chill down his spine, he realized what it was, as his probing fingers felt the new orifice torn into his torso._

_Blood._

_He lay there, dying of a wound which had never been there before._

_What in the world happened? His frantic mind searched desperately among his memories._

_He was drawing blanks. His life was fading fast. Even in the darkness, he saw the pitch blackness of oblivion approach him, ever so slowly._

_The Saiyan felt someone grasp his hand, a gesture of comfort._

_He was not alone. Jolting his apathetic brain into action, he willed his eyelids open._

_It was her. The one person he wished most to gaze upon as he drifted away into death's cold embrace._

_She looked older. Much older, in fact. He made out little crow's feet around her tear-filled eyelids. Small creases lined the sides of her mouth, present more due to stress than age. In fact, she now looked twice as old as she actually was._

_The last few years had not been easy on her._

_WHAT IS THIS? WHY DO I REMEMBER HER THIS WAY? Struggling so, so vainly to find a reply to his words._

_She gave his near-lifeless palm a gentle squeeze. His despair grew, stemming from the fact that he could not return the same affectionate gesture._

_Lifting his hand gingerly, she laid it on her stomach. Uterus, rather, as he'd so valiantly learned from the medical genius._

_'Medical genius? Uterus?'_

_He couldn't even begin to fathom anything about the events in the last few moments. How long ago this consternation had begun, he knew not._

_The scene continued, like someone had hit the unpause button._

_Through her sadness, he glimpsed a hint of a smile on her pretty face. A sad, resigned smile, one filled with unresolved feelings and sheer regret._

_His rough calluses made it hard to sense, but he felt it._

_The faint, rapid heartbeat of her unborn. His unborn._

_Their unborn, in fact._

_I HAVE A CHILD? Like an errant fly, his mind flicked away the protests of his still-rational side._

_With a sputter, his failing cardiac muscles sent another wave of blood through his body. Another wave sending the fluid of life out through his wound._

_The rapid flutter of the child, as it waited to enter the world, to exist, thrummed under his palm._

_One life ending to make way for another. So poetic, yet his raving consciousness only despaired at the cliche._

_Something was wrong. This was too deep to be a dream, and yet…_

_He filled his mind with one thing only. The single, heartfelt desire to be away from this madness._

_'SOMEONE HELP ME.'_

_He needed to wake up. Now._

_HELP._

_HELP!_

"Goku!"

* * *

He was roughly awoken. Eyes shooting open, he stared at Namikaze Minato's troubled face.

The three others circled him too, eyes worried and concerned. He quickly regained his bearings, but his subconscious still reeled from the effects of the dream. And what a freaking dream it had been, too. It felt too lucid; like he was actually experiencing every event that had happened in that crazy succession. The only thing lacking from it, in his opinion, was the element of control.

Realising that he was drenched with sweat, he drew his blanket closer, huddling inside it. They were still in the Village of the Snow, and hypothermia was a very bad way to die.

"Wait. I'll get you something warm to drink." Rin got up and left in a hurry, yelling for the innkeeper.

Goku drew a shuddering breath that had nothing to do with the cold. His bandaged right arm gave him very little freedom of movement.

"What exactly happened? Tell me." Minato looked into the Saiyan's eyes, calming him down. Goku hesitantly nodded. This was a relatively safe space. He told them a condensed version of the debacle, leaving out the parts that dealt with the pregnancy. Even he knew what discretion was. That fact he would take with him to his grave. Probably not even tell the lady in the dream, unless she happened to ask directly about it.

At the mention of the _Kyuubi, _Minato stiffened visibly, and his lips tightened. Goku finished his tale, drawing a deep breath. Somehow, that felt more like a premonition; a harbinger of things to come. His blonde-haired _sensei _seemed to know something. He was going to decipher this, and get it over with.

Minato scratched his head. The information was extremely vague, though. For the moment, he decided to do nothing, letting events run their course. _What do I know? I just happened to find this kid in the forest anyway, so I shouldn't be surprised if he has a few weird characteristics, I guess..._

_Furthermore, it may just be some sort of trauma-induced hallucination, so let's not put all our eggs in the premonition basket. _He said this out loud to the Saiyan as well, and he looked a lot more calm after hearing it. Maybe he just needed someone to tell him that it was insignificant, at least where the present scenario was concerned.

"Now that all of us are up, incidentally," Kakashi spoke up, clearly trying to shift the subject to something they could all talk about, "Let's do some training, what say?"

Minato nodded. "It would be good if all of us did some workouts in the cold. Conditioning in all weather patterns is important for a _shinobi _after all..."

"Breakfast's ready!" Rin poked her head through the doorway for an instant, before disappearing again.

Throwing away their futons, the team all got up excitedly, for showing off one's OP-ness was a great incentive to get the hell out of bed. Plus, smells of an absolutely delicious breakfast were drifting in from the kitchen next door, and they all were very ravenous. With a strict look at Goku to manage his godforsaken appetite, Minato led the four out of the room.

_Let's get this over with, and get back to good old Konoha in the afternoon._

_I'm sick of this stuff already._

* * *

Breakfast completed, the group went out, bags and all, to find a suitable training spot.

Goku was still feeling a little tired, but his shoulder seemed much better now, compared to yesterday. _Perhaps it had been a fit caused by the injury, _he mused, attention away from the argument spawning between the now-_Sharingan-_empowered Obito and the jealous yet dismissive Kakashi. Rin was playing the unfortunate moderator's role again, and her annoyance at these juvenile spats was clearly showing on her face.

"There!" Goku lifted his head, looking at Minato. He was pointing to a rough spot of snow, perfectly sized for a little light sparring. _Not that I can, anyway, _Goku felt more depressed now. Not only had he not eaten as much as he wanted _(clearly impossible in a foreign land, as Kakashi had put it) _but now another thing that he loved had been taken away from him.

Obito searched the area for hostiles with his newfound _Sharingan, _while Kakashi warmed up, clearly wanting to go first. Minato came up to Goku and Rin, a separate training prepared for the two of them.

"Rin," he started, "I think a little strength training is due, given that you're the weakest in the team, physically," she nodded. Girls really weren't built that way, and the scrawny brunette was no exception. Goku's mind wandered off again as his _Jonin-sensei _began laying out a routine for her, choosing to reminisce instead. Long-lost memories rose to the surface for fleeting seconds, to be replaced by new ones.

_Chi-Chi... Please forgive me, my love. _He felt a great sadness envelop him, almost like the events in the dream, nay, premonition had actually happened. He had, for not even a second, contemplated having another child of his own. The very idea seemed so adult; so unlike the juvenile thoughts usually coursing through his mind. Now that he had been shown a glimpse of that wonderful feeling again, it was the only thing he could think about.

Fatherhood had been a constant struggle for the Saiyan, because a fighting machine built for efficiency and lethality did not understand the fragility of something as small and tiny as a child. Chi-Chi had to remind him constantly to take it easy, to not throw Gohan so far up in the sky, to not be so rough with him, as if he were a ragdoll to be tossed around like salad. The moments of sheer fear he'd felt when he had lost control of the stroller, sending his son on a roller-coaster along the meadows of East District 439, that precious feeling of relief when he reached the demolished baby vehicle to find Gohan mysteriously unhurt, they all came back to haunt him, settling down his mood even more.

It was extremely fitting though, that a dream about his distant future evoked his memories of his distant past, making him remember what he had lost all those decades, nay, centuries ago. But he had had his fill of reminiscing, and generally dreaming, for a long time to come. Today, he trained. As much as his shoulder would allow.

Minato passed over to him, as Rin took a few steps to his right. She began stretching, and the two competing, still-healthy _Genins _began an immediate, testosterone-fuelled contest to get her attention. Goku sighed audibly, matching the blonde _Jonin's _exasperated reaction. They were not wrong in their judgement. Kakashi and Obito's obvious and clumsy attempts to hit on their female teammate wasn't news in any way.

"As for you," Minato turned to the Saiyan, "start with a few one-armed push-ups. I don't want you to rip open that wound of yours. We'll follow that up with a little _chakra _control exercises." Goku nodded, eagerly dropping down onto his uninjured arm, moving up and down slowly and rhythmically. He felt a little drained from before, but he still managed a hundred in under three minutes. The cold snow underneath his chest made it a little too cold when he got down near the ground, and he used the discomfort as an added incentive to rise back up.

Minato motioned for him to stop, and he rose to his feet, not even having worked up a sweat yet. Injury or not, there was no doubting his extreme physical conditioning was still in place. The _Jonin _made a sudden flurry of seals, and plucked a _kunai _from his pack. Deftly chucking it, he concentrated. Goku's eyes widened. He could sense the _chakra _take form, and then subtly change, as if the very substance it was made of was undergoing a transformation. It felt as though the motion of the energy replicated something he'd seen, nay, _felt_before.

It reminded him of the way a fresh summer breeze felt as it brushed against his face. Reminded him of the long walks he took with Chi-Chi in the meadows amidst the foothills where they lived. The _signature, _as Goku chose to call it in his head, was easy to guess.

_It's wind._

Minato had finished his _chakra _nature transformation. Pointing two fingers right at the _kunai, _he released a flow of _chakra _that sped out, deflecting the path of the blade, making it crash three trees away from its original destination. Goku looked on, impressed. Minato's hints were clear. He was to learn _chakra _nature transformation today. Taking a breath, the blonde _Jonin _turned to his student. Taking out a paper from somewhere inside his multitude of pockets, he handed it to Goku.

"This is a special piece of paper that checks the nature of your _chakra,_" Minato explained. "Basically, it'll let us know what nature will come naturally to you, and will hence be the easiest to mold, so we can start with that. If you've gone through the handbook, you will know what types of _chakra _there are. Simply channel a little _chakra _into the paper, and we'll know."

Goku took the piece, holding it between his fingers, and released a little _chakra _into it. The paper suddenly caught fire, and Goku dropped it to the ground, teeth clamping down on his lips to bite back a loud expletive. Minato looked on, with no surprise in his eyes. Perhaps that was what the reaction of the paper was. Goku saw the _Jonin _mouth the word _fire_soundlessly_._

_That's what I'd guessed._

"Hmm," Minato began, composing his words as he spoke. There was a specific way to address the intricacies of someone trying to learn nature transformation for the first time, and fire was the trickiest of all. Given Goku's propensity to learn at the speed of light, however, Minato wasn't all that worried.

"Let's begin with trying to get your _chakra _to start resembling your natural affini-"

_MOTHER ALMIGHTY._

A small, condensed flame was already levitating over Goku's palm. Kakashi and Obito had stopped their bickering, and were looking on, eyes popping. Minato simply looked on, too mindfucked for words. The thirteen-year-old Saiyan had done something that needed months of practice in a freaking minute. He had on an expression of false modesty so obvious that it made Minato want to go over and slap him.

"Like this?" he asked, the smile on his face belying the very question his mouth had spoken.

Kakashi didn't hesitate like his _sensei. _Going over to the smug Saiyan, he slapped him hard across the face with great ferocity. Goku was thrown sideways, and he barely managed to avoid landing on his injured shoulder by contorting sideways and driving his other palm into the snow to brace his impact.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" he yelled out at the gray-haired prodigy, who had already produced a series of sparking showers of lightning _chakra _on his palm. "I could have injured my shoulder beyond repair!"

"Kakashi-_kun,_" Rin admonished the sullen teen with a very stern glare that made him avert his eyes. "That was uncalled for and dangerous as all hell. So, you apologise to Son-_kun_this instant. Get it?" She turned to Obito, who had prepared a _Katon; Goukyaku _of his own, and was spraying it all over the snow-covered ground.

"Obito, shut that faltering excuse for a Fire element move. We all know you have swagger because of your _Sharingan. _There's no need to act this freaking insecure," she showed the Uchiha no mercy. He stopped breathing fire, and hung his head in shame.

"Minato-_sensei?" _Rin wasn't done, apparently. "Care to pitch in? Aren't you supposed to discipline these two losers?"

The_ jonin _raised his head. "Ah, yes," he said distractedly. "Don't do this again, Kakashi. Get it? You too, Obito..."

It was clear that the eighteen-year-old had something on his mind.

* * *

_That's some power he's got there..._

Minato just couldn't get the image out of his head.

The party had given up on their training after that crazy debacle, and were heading back to the village with their spirits all damped. Kakashi walked a distance ahead of the rest, frowning and pouting away like a little child. Obito seemed too abashed to utter a word, continually giving Rin withering looks when he thought she wasn't looking. Rin was staring at their _jonin-sensei _with genuine concern in her eyes, and Goku was merely trudging on with his head down, clamping his teeth to try and bite down on the pain.

It had gotten significantly warmer as they trekked on the path back to Konoha, and the cut had begun to throb continuously now. The bandage needed to be changed; he could not deal with an infection festering over there now. And yet, Minato stayed aloof and preoccupied, thinking about what he'd seen back then.

The smallish flame his protege had created had not been extinguished when Kakashi had slapped him to the ground. Goku had used that palm as something to break his fall. A flame of that size would have melted the snow around his hand a little, creating a small pool of water before it fizzled out into nothing. And yet, Minato had seen not only a much larger area of the sheet of white melted in a circle around the kid's hand, he had also noticed that the ground beneath had gotten a little scorched.

The fire that Goku had created could not be an ordinary flame. No _Katon no jutsu _that Minato had seen in his life ever had that intensity concentrated into that small a space. It was almost as destructive as his...

_RASENGAN._

_Don't tell me..._

He exited his reverie, and suddenly turned to face his team. The three behind him stopped; Kakashi continued walking on nonchalantly as he sulked. He went back and placed his hand on Goku's uninjured shoulder.

"Tell me one thing," he started. The Saiyan's eyes had a touch of confusion in them. "How exactly did you create that fireball?"

Goku smirked. This was time for him to show off a little. "I merely thought about _fire, _and how I could apply that element to a ball of _chakra_. I merely created a _Rasengan, _and tried to make it...fiery, I guess?"

_There's my answer. _Minato could finally relax, now that that was out of his mind. _Damn, that was a tough one. It would have left me sleepless for days had it not clicked this early. I need to give my intellect a little more credit. And I need to give this kid a LOT more freaking credit. What he pulled off wasn't exactly simple._

"You do know the effects of recklessly transforming your _chakra, _right? But of course you don't. Shut up." he said with a touch of finality in his voice. The Saiyan, who was about to protest, abruptly clamped his mouth. He knew better than to argue when Minato took that tone with anyone. Even his devil of a girlfriend couldn't continue on with her hateful ranting when he chose to use it on her. It was a superpower he reserved for special occasions only; Goku knew he was talking about something absolutely essential.

"You could, in your excitement, transform your _chakra _before it even exits your _tenketsu. _Now imagine what it would be like to suddenly combust and die. Yeah. That's what will happen if you don't learn how to selectively transform only the _chakra _you have collected outside your body." Minato seemed a little out of breath. Perhaps he had spoken with too much enthusiasm. Goku smiled again at his _sensei's _earnestness.

"Okay, Minato," he started, and before the _Jonin_ could muster up the volume necessary to yell at him again, Goku had produced yet another _Katon;Rasengan _on his palm, intuitively keeping the two flows of fire and intrinsic _chakra _separate. Obito was ogling at the Saiyan with wide, _Sharingan-_enabled eyes.

"How, in God's name, are you doing this?" he asked, with a stymied expression on his face, and more than a hint of envy. Suddenly the Uchiha wasn't the center of attention any more. Somehow, without even putting in any effort, the Saiyan had managed to take another huge leap forward, to hell with the consequences. That was more than a little annoying to the other three in his team. Rin had spent an entire month and a half just to get her _chakra _to get a hint of _Suiton _in it. Obito's was an Academy record, with the Uchiha beating former class retard Fujinawa Semoponume by a whole month, taking over a year to get the trick.

Kakashi's week and a half was the exact opposite kind of record, one Goku had shattered, perhaps permanently. That feat wasn't the most off-putting thing about the Saiyan anyway. Minato and the others were still sort of used to the astonishing speed with which Goku improved. It was the _'I'm-better-than-you-suck-it' _smirk plastered on his face that felt out of place. Goku had been humble to a fault uptil now. Although the other three _Genin _were being driven crazy by it, Minato suspected that it was merely what it was. An innocent smile; not a fake, attention-seeking tool.

"If you weren't that badly injured, Son-_kun,_" Rin had invoked her inner Kushina, replicating the bloodcurdling calm voice, and the spiteful, ball-shrivelling face the Uzumaki was famous for. Leaving the sentence unfinished, she turned away without even so much as a haughty sniff. Minato cast a glance at the poor Saiyan, who had been nearly reduced to tears. Recalling every concentration camp punishment the redhead had made him undergo for the minutest of errors during her training regimes was not a pleasant experience.

Goku extinguished the flames, hanging his head down. The party continued on, after demolishing the only member who hadn't been irritated or downcast.

_Poor kid. _Minato sympathised with his predicament.

* * *

They were barely past the halfway mark when the _Jonin_ called for a halt. The saffron tones of sundown were upon them far earlier than they expected. Their fatigue, coupled with extreme disinterest had made them slow their pace significantly. Plus, Goku's wound needed constant re-dressing, and it wasn't getting any easier for him to bear with the pain and the weight of the backpack he had so stubbornly refused to hand over to anyone else. Very infrequently, when he thought no one was looking, he'd allow his face to contort and let out the pain he was in.

Rolling out their camping gear, they pitched their tents along the side of the road. While Kakashi scoured the surroundings for firewood, Minato and Rin divided the rations they had in their backpacks. Obito lay inside his tent, listless. A sharp knife lay in his right hand, which he was using as a mirror. Keeping it in front of his face, he activated his _Sharingan,_then turned it off. Somehow, looking into the _Dojutsu-_wielding eyes, peering into the deep crimson and black always instilled a sense of peace in the Uchiha.

He had always been a sheltered child. Ever since he was old enough to wrap his fingers around the hilt of a _kunai, _the elders of the clan had taken up the responsibility of teaching him and a group of other children the intricacies of _ninjutsu, _the subtleties of the craft, and, most importantly, the special skills only those carrying the blood of the Uchiha could perform. This kind of preferential mentorship had placed a certain complacency in the then six-year-old, who took much less effort than his contemporaries to improve himself, yet was blessed with a meteoric learning pace that had begun to impress his _senseis _even before his seventh birthday.

And yet, for all that had been worth, a complete stranger had come and overtaken him in ability and degree of skill. The gray-haired dick, Hatake Kakashi had dented his self-respect by simply refusing to acknowledge Obito's skill, choosing instead to publicly humiliate him with demonstrations of his prodigal intellect and deep-seated desire to learn that bested even the Uchiha's natural talent.

As a matter of course, his confidence, along with his performance and intent to learn, had dropped. Gradually, the once-awesome kid began skipping lectures and playing truant from practice sessions with a reckless abandon that had never been seen in him before, only appearing in enough evaluatives that would allow him to pass and move on. Their _Chuunin_class teacher openly ridiculed him for being stupid and stubborn, and he lost the respect of his fellow classmates.

The clan elders too, began to favour younger, less able candidates over him for their special lessons. Obito began regressing into a shell, pulling away from genuine human connections, playing stupid simply to amuse his peers. It was a dreadful sight to see such special talent go to waste, but what could be done? Obito had created a vicious circle in his mind, and was very content with simply fading away into oblivion.

However, the formation of the _Genin _team had changed things. The one person he admired most in the world was placed in the same three-man cell as him, as was his nemesis. Kakashi's disapproving stares and Rin's gentle words of encouragement spurred him on, pushing him to try his hand at living up to his potential again. And for the last month, he had done exactly that. Competing continuously with Kakashi for bragging rights, always going the extra mile to please Rin-_chan, _telling off Goku for being such an idiot, Obito had finally come back from the brink of non-existence.

This mission had initially turned out to be the climax of his efforts. In that battle against the rabid wolf-thingies, he had activated his _Sharingan _solo, without any help or spoonfeeding from his clanmates. He had seen the surge of power and control he had over any tactical scenario with the _Kekkei Genkai _in place. For a fleeting moment, he had been in the limelight. He had had the edge, at least when it came to the _Genin _team he was in.

Barely fifteen hours after finally clawing his way to some attention, it had been forcefully taken away from him, albeit unknowingly. Goku had simply done what anyone else in his position would have. His success was a testament to his talent, and his talent only, though. And it was precisely because of that that the Uchiha's attempts at calling it a fluke were brushed away even by his own subconscious.

And so, he'd been trying to figure out the trick to it. Ever since his teammate had done the impossible, he'd been observing the _chakra _flow inside Goku's body at random times, in an attempt to check for differences between his own body and Goku's. He'd found nothing, though; the exact same _chakra _system made up the dude's body as was inside his own. Reaching the conclusion that his very _chakra _itself must be fundamentally different from the others, he waited until Minato gave the pretentious douche another chance to show off.

And he'd gotten that chance all right. In the middle of the freaking road, nonetheless. He'd simply ignored the _Jonin's _warning that playing around with the nature transformation of so much _chakra _all at once could lead to serious consequences. And Obito had observed. He'd observed the shit outta that flame _Rasengan _or whatever the fuck it was. _Nothing._

He had been seriously fuming for a long while after that. His _chakra _was simply fire _chakra. _That was about it. It had no peculiar traits, nor had it the ability to mould on its own, as had been his main suspicion. He had hammered in the wooden stakes with such ferocity that the wood had split. He'd had to go fetch another from quite the distance, all alone in that frame of mind. Making sure that he defaced every tree he passed, he had returned slightly calmer than before.

Even then, when he saw that infernal poser light their campfire with yet another blatant violation of Minato-_sensei's _rules, the frustration had returned like a hammer on an anvil, sending out sparks through his veins. Zipping his tent all the way up, he decided to channel the rage into something constructive. The Uchiha can was widely known for their _Katon_affinity as well; they grasped those _jutsus _like they were trivial, shaming even the most trained of experts. Perhaps he could do the same with Goku's flame _Rasengan._

Sitting cross-legged in the center of his tent, he curled his palm, focusing on the _chakra _running inside his body. Activating his _Sharingan, _he quickly began the procedure for the technique, keeping his new nemesis' smug face in his mind.

_Fuck you, Goku._

_I'll learn this by tomorrow and show Rin-chan that I'm better than you._

His eyes shone in the soft glow of his vermilion _chakra._

_You'll see, you pretentious loser._

* * *

The purple shades of twilight had passed, giving way to the moonlight night. Hushed mutters and curses could be heard from two of the five tents in the clearing. Kakashi had also decided to get off his ass and start training, it seemed.

Goku sat outside his tent, breathing in the cool night air, gazing at the moon with a lackluster gaze. Occasionally, he would let slip a huge yawn; the day had been very exhausting, especially for him. He simply let the pale light fall on his face, remembering all those times this had been a bad thing.

He recalled the intense bloodlust that used to fill his every pore. Recalled losing his mind to it within the span of a second, and then waking up stark naked, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. He'd been extremely happy when Master Roshi had told him the reason why his tail had been cut off, and happier when the Supreme Kai had told him it was necessary to gather the strength to beat Baby.

It was a part of him, and he felt rather incomplete without it. It had carried that one risk; a testament to his lineage. Now, for some unfathomable reason, even that little fault had been eliminated. He remembered looking up at the moon, carrying the fear that he might just transform, and nothing had happened. Somehow, after attaining control over his Ozharu form to reach the pinnacle of Saiyan strength, he'd gained the ability to transform at will. But the _desire _still remained within, like a distant, lilting call of something sweet and ever so attainable.

Now there was nothing. Not even a trace remained of that killing instinct; he'd been declawed by the dragon in more ways than one. He would probably figure those out as time passed, anyway.

_There's nothing to be flustered about. I'll get over it._

He gazed at the cratered surface in the sky a second longer before returning to his tent. Lying down on his good shoulder, he ignored the stabs of discomfort emanating from his entire forearm. The pain had spread a little, and had changed from a throbbing, stabbing sensation to a dull, constant ache. Somehow, that made it so much worse than before. He closed his eyes, and tried to catch a little sleep. Minato would make them pack up and start moving at the break of dawn; he was sure of it.

But closing his eyes meant leaving himself helpless against sleep. Helpless against a recurrence of the premonition he had had the night before. After a day of contemplation, he'd finally convinced himself that it had, in fact, meant something, and that it was something to be taken very seriously.

The thirteen-year old lay there, simply thinking about the implications of what he'd witnessed. He had been fighting some sort of ginormous fox that, for some freaking reason, had nine tails. The scene after that showed him to be gravely injured. It had felt as though the _Kyuu-thingy _had gotten a swipe at him, and a good enough swipe to leave him at death's door. Also, while he lay there, his life slowly seeping out of him, Mikoto had arrived, carrying in her womb a child he'd assumed to be his own?

_Oh no. No. No. NO._

That last thought sent him into shudders. Sure, he currently felt what could, in a loose sense, be called affection for her, but who knew what the future held? Minato had mentioned in passing that the Uchiha clan were very strict about such stuff. Goku had never, even on the best of days, intended to do anything of that sort with her. It simply was so out of his thought patterns that it somehow felt like an act he would do when he was not in his senses. Giving one last shiver, he acclimated himself to the idea that there was something of that sort that was going to happen in the future.

Just thinking about it, in the different perspective of fate, made him want to scream with joy. Now that he was assuming that it was inevitable, he didn't have to worry about how to approach it. Not that he'd ever thought about it before last night, anyway.

The calming effect of succumbing to inevitability put him to a deep sleep faster than any sedative could. His breathing slowed, and his chest began rising and falling rhythmically. His last conscious thought was one of hope. Hope that he would simply be awoken by Minato at dawn, without any damn interruptions.

_Please. I beg of you, _he called out to the dragon.

_Just let me sleep._

* * *

_The loud sound of the nearby waterfall brought him back from his reverie._

_There they stood, the two of them, on the fated ground of the ancestors. __Ancestor of one of them, to be precise._

_He looked into the black, power-crazed eyes of his opponent. The metal protector on his forehead gleamed in the sunlight. __He remembered tying that very protector on his head, determined to change his fate. __For avenging something that was his own fault was a rather unfair waste of time._

_"I've got nothing to say to you, you bastard!"_

_His sharp tongue had not been culled, it seemed. It was yet another thing he had failed to do._

_Goku felt his anger well up, rising in intensity with every second this fool refused to listen to reason. Anger at his miserable effort at reconciliation. Anger at the consequences of his own actions._

_Her image flashed in front of his eyes. Her pure, smiling face, ever so unaware of what had transpired._

_Clearing his vision with a shake of his head, he saw her face morph into the twisted, insane face of the teenager standing on the other side of the waterfall. Oh, that was not something that could be tolerated. He wouldn't allow anyone to tarnish her memory. Not even him._

_He decided to let his feelings rule his actions, just this once. __Decided to show his student the folly of his misbegotten ways._

_A flash of lightning struck out of the blue. His student, once in a hurry to leave, was now rooted to the spot, eyes popping as he watched the spectacle. __A breathless gasp escaped his open mouth as he saw the black hair begin to rise. His opponent couldn't dare to blink; it could all end in that split second._

_The dark, soulful eyes were replaced with a stunning shade of blue-green that sparkled on its own. The hair, now having risen to the currents of the chakra-like substance, had a shade of gold that emanated a warm aura._

_The subtle ripples of sheer strength that Goku sent out caused the entire valley to resonate in tandem with the Saiyan._

_"Now, you shall learn."_

_An undertone of sheer power laced his every syllable. The statue of Uchiha Madara under his student's feet had begun to crumble._

_Goku relished the fear in his eyes. Savoured every nervous twitch of his muscles._

_"You will learn the true meaning of power."_

* * *

Goku was rudely awoken by the blonde _Jonin _right at the crack of dawn. Gasping for air, he opened his eyes. That last part had been very intriguing. Despite it being a dream, he'd enjoyed the feeling of transformation so much, he hadn't realised that his face had gone blue from holding his breath out of sheer excitement.

"You alright?" Minato's voice held a little less concern than the previous night, but it was still pretty evident that he had seen Goku's condition before he had woken him up by grabbing his face and pulling his cheeks hard enough to cause bruising.

Goku nodded silently, still breathing heavily. _That _particular premonition hadn't been that bad, but he still wondered who the kid was. His student? Somehow, after the last one, the Saiyan had doubted that he would ever be old enough to train a _Genin _team of his own. But surprise surprise, there he was, teaching someone he assumed as a wilful dissenter the_'meaning of power'. _He berated his subconscious for that extremely cliche ending line.

His shoulder seemed a little better, and he was able to exit and pack up his tent on his own while his _sensei _woke the other two still sleeping. Rin-_chan _gave him a sleepy nod of the head. It was clear that she hadn't slept well, or at all. Kakashi and Obito could get very loud while they were training, usually spouting battle cries and trash talk which only got louder with time.

There was a pot of tea bubbling on a fresh fire. Minato had awoken a good hour before them, it would seem. Goku was impressed. The _Jonin _had some crazy endurance.

_That's what it takes to get up the ladder of responsibility, huh?_

Goku poured two cups out of the frothing liquid, and passed one over to the sleepy girl. Again, she nodded her thanks, not saying a word. She looked like she was sulking about something. _Maybe not the right time to strike up some friendly conversation._

The peaceful silence was suddenly broken with a loud slap from inside Obito's tent, followed by the tearful thirteen-year old emerging from the tent, holding his left cheek gingerly. At the sight of Goku, however, he hastily took his hand away from his red face, and put it in his pocket, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible.

_Who're you trying to kid, nigga? _The Saiyan motioned towards the teapot. Obito went over and poured himself a cup. Taking a sip, he made a very obvious show of it, sipping as visibly and audibly as he could.

"Hmm," he wrinkled his eyebrows, as if dissatisfied with the tea. "It's a little too cold, dont'cha think?"

Goku and Rin shared a very disgusted look. _Just tell us you learned the Katon;Rasengan already. We know you've been desperately trying to copy it since yesterday._

With a sudden flourish, he produced a perfect replica of Goku's technique, hovering an inch above his palm. His _Sharingan _reflected the red glow, appearing as bright as burning coals. The Saiyan and the Nohara shared a perfunctory, insincere round of applause. Obito, ever unaware of sarcasm, grinned from ear to ear, casting dirty looks at Goku every few seconds.

_SLAP!_

The three turned to Kakashi's tent, from where the gray-haired teen was approaching with the same teary eyes and supporting hand. Seeing Rin, he quickly repeated the exact maneuver Obito had performed. Rin rolled her eyes. _We know what happened. Stop trying to act all macho, Kakashi-kun. Although, I wouldn't be wrong if I said that the redness on his cheek looked kinda cool, would I?_

Their exasperated _sensei _came up to them. The sun had begun to rise, showing just a glimmer over the horizon. Without saying anything, he kept glancing at the sun, and their unfinished pack up, until they finally got the message. In the span of ten minutes, the party had already started towards the village, maintaining a steady, brisk pace.

_I wouldn't be surprised if these kids break my record, _Minato mused, referring to his becoming a _Jonin _at the age of seventeen. _The rate of personal growth they are showing is insane, and their rivalries only serve to speed up the process._

_Here's hoping you achieve whatever you've set out to do._

* * *

The Hidden Village of Konoha, unaware of the antics of their only five-man team, continued on as usual. People showed up to work, the other _Genins _completed their fixed quota of D-Rank missions, and a new batch of students were getting enrolled in the Academy.

Tsunade sat at her window, sipping warm _sake _from her saucer. It was a chilly day, and the cold called for a little warm booze to help things along.

"What have you been up to, my dear friend?"

Annoyance flashed across her pretty doll-like face for an instant.

"Nothing, my _not-so-dear _acquaintance," she replied to Jiraiya's ugly mug. He merely smiled the same lecherous smile, and took a sip from his own saucer.

"Ah, don't be so moody, Tsunade," he tried to placate her with smooth talk. Judging from the expression on her face, it wasn't working.

_Fuck off and leave me alone, you damn pervert._

"I've found something interesting to do, though." annoyed as she was by the sage's very existence, she couldn't help but tell him.

He drew closer. She cringed at the proximity, but kept her face straight. She knew that the dude wasn't capable of carrying it out, given his drinking and fooling around.

"What did you find?" it seemed like Jiraiya already knew the answer to that one. Despite that, the question didn't feel like a rhetoric. Therefore, she answered.

"A protege," she replied.

* * *

**The unlucky 13 has finally come out.**

**I'll have to write number fourteen that much faster to make up for the bad luck I'm gonna get because of this one.**

**Fuck the site's counter, the prologue doesn't count as a chapter.**

**Leave your reviews, if you all would be so kind.**

**Then leave. Actually.**

**There's literally nothing more to see here.**

**Peace.**


	15. Return

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**Happy hours, everyone!**

**A recent experiment with, let's say, _substances, _has done this story a little good.**

**Returned some of it's original, multiple-POV style to the narrative.**

**Read and enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER : THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS FANFIC ARE SOLELY MINE. INTENDED TO HURT KISHIMOTO-SENSEI IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.**

* * *

**_Chapter 14: Return_**

* * *

"We're HOOOOMEEEEE!?..."

The look of excitement on Minato's face was quickly replaced by a dead-fish glare. Eyes half-lidded, he looked at the person standing at the village gate with barely concealed contempt. This was _not _who he'd expected would be greeting him after he'd returned.

"Ah...heh..." the middle-aged man clearly seemed at a loss for words.

"Let's go, people." the blonde _Jonin _walked past without a single fuck given, leaving behind a open-mouthed Jiraiya, who looked like someone had just shot him in the chest with a bazooka. It probably didn't help the image he was trying to portray very much, standing there pretending to clutch an imaginary hole in his chest, pretending to gasp for his last dying breath.

The team of four followed their leader solemnly, ignoring the sad, creepy man who'd just glanced lasciviously at a babe bending over to pick potatoes out of a vendor's cart. Suppressing his nosebleed, Jiraiya turned, hurrying behind Minato, who was doing his best to walk away as quickly as he could.

"Ah, come on, Minny! Don't be like that!" even at the mention of that extremely compromising nickname, the blonde hadn't stopped or looked back, a slight tightening of his fist the only indication of emotion.

The _Sannin, _too, wasn't one to simply roll over and let Minato ignore the shit out of him. Oh no. Matching the _Jonin's _pace, he put on his creepiest smile, and began speaking in an oily voice. "But _Minny-san," _he began, "aren't these your very capable _Genin _I see walking so obediently behind you? Don't you think they deserve to know everything about their _sensei_? And by everything," his voice got even greasier, till every syllable dripped with slime. "_I mean eeeeeveeeerrrrryyttthing..."_

The silver-haired dude's monologue came to an abrupt end when Minato's fist connected with his face. Like a cartoon character, his face squished inwards, and stayed there, partially hidden underneath the fist still digging into the front. The scene took a pause, allowing the audience a very well-deserved laughter break.

"Um, Minny," Jiraiya still wasn't done. In a nasal voice reminiscent of a bad head cold, he continued, "I'm very certainly not going to mind if you don't talk to me. But I'm sure the children will be very interested to know about your dirty desires, ones you only let Kush..."

The characteristic vein popping on his forehead, Minato's second fist had joined his first. "Will you shut the freaking hell up, geezer? I'm trying to go peacefully to HQ, debrief and end my pathetic excuse for a mission, so that the injured member in my team can get medical attention, but are these stupid childish games all you want to come up with now, _korra? HUH?_" Sending his cultured language to the gutter, he held his master by the collar, looking like a member of the _yakuza. _All that image was missing was some OG shades and a bunch of people going _'Aniki!' _to the rhythm of a beatboxer.

Jiraiya tried to pull off a casual, non-committal smirk, but the nosebleed and the bruising under his eyes just made it even more loser-esque. Dropping him down onto his staggering feet, Minato gave a very audible sigh, and walked off towards HQ in a huff. Hefting their bags, his students followed suit, save for one gray-haired fanboy, who looked like he'd just seen a cow give birth in excruciating detail.

"J-j-j-Jiraiya-_sama!"_ the hermit's eyes flashed over, clearly not expecting such an honorific from the child who appeared the most delinquent of them all. Kakashi's eyes shone as he eerily felt up Jiraiya's hands with his own, a reverent gentleness to his touch. Minato had paused for just a second, before walking away, muttering _'perverted child' _under his breath as he exited the scene as it began steadily getting creepier behind him.

Meanwhile, the sage had extricated his hands from the visibly shaking kid, face scrunched in disgust at the sheer amount Kakashi had drooled over them. "I may never wash my hands again. _Evar._" Kakashi was exhibiting a severe case of Otaku-sickness, the characteristic condition of any teenager after meeting his idol. It was disturbing to hear those ugly words coming out of the normally composed Kakashi's mouth, and even worse to see him lose his entire sense of self-worth by mooning over the slightly abashed Jiraiya.

"You can return him as and when he regains control over his saliva," Minato said flatly, and walked off towards HQ.

Goku, Obito and Rin followed, guffawing loudly enough for the entire village to hear.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was intrigued, and a little angry.

"Got injured like that by a few _animals_? How incompetent are you, Minato?" as the _Jonin _opened his mouth to answer, the _Sandaime _held up a silencing hand. "The fact that they had _Sharingan _embedded in their eyes does earn you a little respite, but I cannot overlook your shoddy work."

Minato simply stared at his sandals. The more meekly he accepted whatever, the faster this would get resolved. The Hokage had gotten more and more irascible ever since he had become a _Jonin, _punishing even the smallest of his mistakes heavily, and very rarely praising his achievements, if at all. It wasn't like he expected a pat on the back for bringing him that arthritis medicine in secret, but at least a word in edgeways about his mercurial rise among the _shinobi _ranks would be sheer courtesy.

"It is unforgivable that the leader of such a special unit, one with more members to boot, couldn't spare the effort to protect his proteges from harm, especially a protege that said leader had personally escorted into the village, is it not? Don't even bother to argue, you little whippersnapper..." Goku had tried to protest against this barrage of admonition, but Hiruzen wasn't going to let anyone talk at all.

_Understand my position, you rascals, _the old man mused. There wasn't the slightest doubt in his mind that Danzo was listening in to the conversation, and would have been rubbing his palms in glee at the mention of the _Sharingan, _if he had been retarded enough to do something so utterly cliche. Every move this new child was making was giving the Uchiha-hater another reason to convince the elders that a..._cleansing..._of sorts was needed in the village population.

Dismissing them with a wave of his hand, he buried his aching head in his palms. Minato sensed that it was probably a sign to get the hell out of there. Ushering the _Genin, _he made a quick exit.

Hiruzen massaged his throbbing temples gingerly. The migraine cure Tsunade had tried on him the other day had stopped working. It wasn't the medical genius's fault; age had finally caught up with the once-invincible Hokage. Although there had never been a time when he'd had absolute authority over the village council, ceding some of it to Danzo, he now felt his resolve faltering every time they scheduled a session together. The feeling that he was going to be puppeted soon, turned into a figurehead for Danzo's schemes, was growing stronger every day.

He had to choose a new leader for the village before the council decided to choose one in his stead, a leader that would most certainly not work for the best interests of the village, or so was his opinion. Who was he to judge what someone else thought? Especially considering the fact that there had been one Great Shinobi War under his leadership, and the threat of a third such instance loomed in the future, he was certainly not someone who could push his philosophy upon others.

_I must discard this outdated method of thinking. Danzo, too, in his way, is steadily toiling for Konoha's betterment. It is just that his image of the ideal village differs from my own. My own myopia has led me to this corner I cannot seem to get out of._

Hiruzen steeled himself as he heard the inevitable knock on the door. Shimura Danzo entered without permission, closing the door behind him.

_I must handle him. For my peace of mind, at the very least._

* * *

"So, that's exactly how C-Rank missions go, I'm afraid," Minato ran a hand through his hair, debriefing his _Genin _informally on the staircase outside HQ. "Anyway, you all have performed admirably, considering it was your first mission of this difficulty." Rin and Goku shared a skeptical look. They'd both seen other teams come in after C-Rank missions and B-Rank, even, without so much as a scratch on them.

"What happened with Goku was a result of an unforeseeable circumstance, and for that, I apologize. Let's go to Tsunade's place to get you fixed up," Goku nodded to the other two, and they gratefully leapt away from HQ to their own homes. C-Rank missions had a four-day resting period assigned to them, reduced to three because of the significant number of recon and surveillance missions being run by _Jonin _squads.

"See you at the ground for training tomorrow!" the blonde shouted to the rapidly receding backs of his students. "Come. Let's get you healed."

Goku stepped out onto the main street, glad that the ordeal was finally over. Now all he had to do was get healed, and he could restart his training.

_Training. _He suddenly lifted his good arm and punched himself in the head. Hard. The crack resounded through the courtyard, and Minato turned with a puzzled expression on his face. Waving the _Jonin _off, he continued to berate himself wordlessly. His entire life before this one had been dedicated to his physicality. Whenever he got an opportunity to further his skills, he took it, to hell with the consequences. His family had thought he was dead, for _Kami's _sake, when he'd gone and trained with the Yadrat clan for the secret of Instant Transmission. Had the Dragon not told them he was alive, they would have never known.

The repercussions of his extremely self-centered actions used to slide off of him like water of a sheet of wax paper. Chi-Chi had resigned herself to the fact that her husband kept her last in his list of priorities, a whole lot of steps below even 'hanging out with Master Roshi'. He had been absent for most of Gohan's childhood and adolescence, simply because he thought too highly of his own significance. And then the most important example would be him simply choosing to fuck off to some random place on Shenron's back, again leaving his family behind.

The long, long time he had gotten to contemplate about all these selfish things he'd done had built a sort of suspicion in his mind. Maybe, just maybe, his way of going about life was wrong. Maybe he needed to slow down and smell the roses once in a while, choosing the company of people he loved over leaving them behind to go and fucking _train. _

_Those ten days before the Cell Games were some of the best days of my entire life, _he mused, a little upset by his own obsession with getting stronger. That very urge to get better, the competitive streak in him, was what had protected the denizens of Earth, Namek, and possibly the universe, as he was only able to beat the strongest of the bastards who threatened to disrupt everything in order to reach their half-crazed goals.

But here... _Why can't I get myself to rest a little bit? Why does this constant need to work and improve plague my mind so? Why can't I simply take a day off and spend it having lunch with Mikoto, or listening to Kushina whine about anything at all? Why..._

"We're here," Minato tapped the distracted Saiyan on the forehead, bringing him back to the present. They were in front of a very nondescript single-floor hut. Stepping up to the door, Minato knocked thrice. A full minute later, Tsunade opened the door, the obvious question already in her eyes.

"Could you please heal..." Minato began.

"No." the door slammed shut. The _Jonin _winced at the sudden noise. Knocking again, he yelled through the thick wood. "Come on! As a favour! I'll owe you big time!"

They waited for another five minutes, before they decided to give up. "The hospital it is," Minato said with a resigned smile.

"I don't understand why that is a bad thing," Goku had a frown on his face. "I perfectly like being normal, you know. I don't want this unnecessary attention. You wouldn't have taken the others to the lady to be healed, right?" Minato was stunned. Apparently, the realization that he was being partial was only hitting him now.

"Okay..." he sighed as he spoke. There was absolutely no need for Goku to get healed any faster than the others. He wanted the Saiyan to fit in, not stand out like a special case. The resentment was a burden most found too heavy to carry. He wasn't sure whether Goku could handle it, but he definitely was not going to try and take that risk. It meant he had to keep Goku as low-key and normal as he could be. Even if it meant a slower recovery. Even if he knew the village's best healer personally.

"Come," he beckoned. "I'll take you to the village hospital-"

_BOOM!_

The door to the hut behind them opened with a sudden crash. A very annoyed Tsunade stood at the entrance, with Jiraiya smiling shamelessly behind her. Grabbing the teenager by the scruff of his neck, she pulled him inside and shut the door before Minato could even react. Completely bamboozled, the blonde simply waited outside, scratching his head.

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

Goku's face was crinkled up in pain, as he nursed his shoulder wound. The interior of the dwelling was pretty cramped. It was clear that this was a house meant to entertain just one person, and a maximum of two if they didn't mind sitting uncomfortably close to each other. It was quite the struggle, therefore, for the _four _people currently occupying the place. The Saiyan counted the healer lady, the gray-haired hermit dude and his gray-haired fanboy. _Somehow, this seems like the beginning of a comedy skit I really don't wanna be a part of._

"Let's get you healed, you little twerp," the first character and a half of her name fit her perfectly. _Tsun-tsun __it is... _Placing her palm over his bandaged shoulder, she just concentrated a little. Goku felt the same numbness crawl underneath his skin, the tissue inside tingling like it had fallen asleep. He'd experienced this sort of rapid healing only two times before this, and the third definitely wasn't the charm. He struggled to remain still as the ugly crawling sensation began spreading outward through his body, targeting training injuries and other small bruises and cuts he had acquired over the last few days.

After she was done, Tsunade gave him a cursory visual examination, checking for areas she might have missed. Her eyes constantly darted over to his tail, the only unusual part of his anatomy. Goku felt no embarrassment; he was used to people's shocked expressions as they'd seen his tail for the first time in their lives. He was surprised, rather, at their uncharacteristic lack of emotion.

_I guess seeing crazy people everywhere does give you a kind of accept-it-all perspective on life._

The man who had claimed to be Minato's _sensei _finally got himself away from Kakashi, turning to the healer lady. "Tell me, Tsunade," he began, "Is this the legendary protege you were telling me about?" Goku felt his cheeks heat up. He barely knew her, and she was naming him as a 'legendary protege' already? It wasn't something that happened everyday, apparently.

"Shut up, Jiraiya." There was not even a tinge of embarrassment on Tsunade's face. She probably hadn't said it, then. Goku felt like a retard for getting his hopes up. He was still extremely insignificant in the village, and getting healed twice by her most probably meant nothing. However, her invitation to train under her still stood, as far as Goku remembered; after he became a _Chuunin, _he could become her apprentice._ Maybe she meant future protege._

"Tell me your name, kid," Jiraiya suddenly seemed very interested in him. Making very creepy eye contact, he gestured for him to answer, all the while pushing away the indignant gray-haired teenager craving his idol's attention.

"Son Goku," he replied, suddenly remembering that Minato was waiting outside. He rose to leave. No one stopped him, or gave even the slightest of fucks whether he stayed or left. Thoroughly confused, the Saiyan exited the hut of crazy people, returning to the only slightly less crazy real world. Minato was sitting on a bench on the other side of the road. Goku wasn't looking at his blonde _sensei _at all, though. What caught his eye first was the girl sitting next to him.

The premonitions flashed through his head. He struggled to keep his expression neutral as visions of a probable future continued to torture him, continually superimposing her tear-stained, depressed face over her current visage. Walking up, he raised his hand, managing to utter a mumbled 'Hi'. Uchiha Mikoto smiled, and Goku's universe was suddenly filled with an abundance of hue. Everything was saturated with color, and his nightmares already seemed less important.

"How was your mission? I heard from Minato that you got injured badly on this trip as well," she shot an angry glance at the _Jonin, _who didn't notice it. It seemed like the Uchiha still hadn't gotten over the blonde's maniacal explosion and subsequent buttrape of his _Genins. _It had been more than a month now, so why hadn't she forgotten it yet? _Maybe it's because she loves-_

_NO!NO!NO! _He repeated as he crashed his head into the nearest lamppost. That dream was nothing if not a skilled rapist fucking his life over repeatedly. For the millionth time, he desperately wished to un-see that ridiculous succession of events his mind had supposedly conjured up from thin air. He had to suppress these uncertain feelings he had for her, until he was old enough to do something about, and most likely for decades after. The very thought of sullying their friendship with the sort of ugly, couple crap running through his mind was despicable.

_I will never allow myself to fall that low._

_Never._

* * *

"Son-_kun_?"

No one had spoken a word in the last minute and a half, which was extremely startling for the Uchiha, for she had just asked Goku a very pertinent question. The Saiyan seemed extremely fidgety today, and his usual eagerness to train didn't seem to be the reason. He was very clearly avoiding all eye contact with her, sending her mind awhirl with possibilities. _Could it be true?_

_Did he actually slip and hurt himself again, like Minato told me? Is he seriously that much of a dolt when Kushina and I'm not around? _She mused, her pathetic, innocent mind completely unaware of the treasonous thoughts currently weighing on the Saiyan. She was still young; those that age very rarely contemplated over the consequences of their actions, choosing to live life exactly as they see fit. Even considering the accelerated growth of maturity she had earned by being a part of the conspiracy-filled environment that the Uchiha enclosure had become, she'd learned to leave all that behind her. She now had good friends outside her clan, almost exclusively so. Kushina was like a sister to her; at least where it mattered most.

As for Son-_kun... _She couldn't really put words to the kind of emotions that ran through her every time she had a conversation with him. In some way, he always understood what she was getting at, arriving at heavy, often undescribable conclusions without her having to ever more than vaguely describe them. It was as though he knew how to read minds; one moment she would be hesitating about revealing stuff about herself that she considered personal or embarrassing, the next he would guess exactly what it was, without fail. Either he was just an extremely smooth talker _(LOL), _or he simply had recognized the value of a true connection, and this was the reward the two of them shared out of it.

She already knew about his rather convoluted history. The story of his life had been the topic of conversation many, many times. Of course, a person couldn't be summarized at all in the span of a couple of hours, so whenever they'd met for dinner over the last month and a half, she'd gotten to know him a little better. There was still a lot of details he'd glossed over for the sake of brevity, and she intended to drag every last facet of his previous lives out of him. The conversation always went two ways, however, and she'd revealed the same amount about herself to him, sometimes indulging his curiosity to the point where she often feared that she would let confidential information slip. Not that Mikoto cared; the tensions between her clan and the village were merely an annoying throb of the head compared to the constant migraine that was the ugly relations between the _shinobi _villages.

It was a result of these meetings and constant reminders of the sheer chemistry between the two of them that her feelings for him had begun to shift. Having begun as a rather _senpai-_esque affection for a junior following the same path in life as her, it had metamorphosed into a tumultuous torrent of admiration and empathy. She looked forward to his company with a smile on her face, always expecting a good time, and always having a better two hours than she'd ever thought. Their usual requests for dinner together had now become extremely informal, with a simple 'Dinner?' followed by a just as succinct 'Cool'.

Somehow, Son-_kun _felt a little off today. She thought she'd gotten to know him well enough to understand when he was simply sulky and wanted to rant at Kushina's demon-like training, or when he felt down about getting ragged by Kakashi in sword drills yet again. This was a side of him she'd not seen before. He kind of looked like someone carrying the burden of a thousand sorrows on his back. It was a load she'd never seen him ever struggle to keep up with. He dealt with sadness and mirth with the same attitude; with a no-fucks-given smile on his face and a determination that would put some of the village's finest to shame. That very smirk of self-confidence had been missing from his face, and it was becoming glaringly obvious that something very bad had happened during their mission.

_I must find out out what he's struggling with._

"Dinner?" she called out, breaking the long silence.

"Cool," the Saiyan replied subconsciously, probably not even registering the question. He had become so accustomed to the query that it didn't require him to think before answering it. Suddenly, as his mind finally wrapped around what he'd just said, he shook himself out of his reverie, protesting that he actually couldn't make it. Mikoto brushed his feeble attempts to postpone their meeting, determined to put his mind at ease. He'd done the exact same to her many times in the past, when he'd noticed her feeling off-colour or depressed. Finally, with a defeated slump to his posture, he hung his head and agreed with a softly muttered _'Fine'._

_There we go. Was that really so hard now, Son-kun?_

"MINATO!"

The three whipped their heads toward the source of the voice. One glance at Kushina's livid face told Goku and Mikoto enough.

"Training?" he asked.

"Cool,"

Disappearing from the scene as quickly as they could, the two ran over to the lush lawns of the training grounds. Goku wasn't surprised in the least that his speed and footing had become even better after that healing. Saiyan regeneration was an insane blessing. Slowing down because of fatigue, and because reaching before the Uchiha did made no sense, he kept pace with her, finally taking a big dive onto the slope leading to the ground and rolling down, laughing uproariously. Trying to get up after a roll like that was much harder than they'd ever imagined. Even if one did manage to get to his feet, the awkwardness made them laugh so much that both plopped back down onto the ground.

After a whole five minutes, they gave up, choosing to just lay down and stare at the sky until the spinning stopped. Mikoto cast a quick glance at Goku. The smile was back, as though all the burdens and distractions from a few minutes ago had been forgotten. She felt quite relieved after seeing that; Son-_kun _still had his sense of self intact. A small smile formed on her lips as well.

_I hope you stay like this forever, Son-kun._

* * *

As the sun set over the village, a meeting of the utmost importance was being held in the Hokage's chambers. Shut from the beautiful twilight, the conference required a great amount of secrecy, for this was to decide the future of the village, and the direction it would eventually take.

Shimura Danzo stood next to his arch-rival, watching in silence as Sarutobi Hiruzen addressed the _Jonin _gathered there. It was a brief speech, as most were already familiar with the procedure, having been _senseis _of _Genin _teams for quite a while. The briefing was never effective; as far as Danzo remembered, only the imbeciles' ambition to have a team graduate to _Chuunin _as early as possible determined whether they would be participating in the hallowed inter-village kill fest or not.

The last _Chuunin _Selection Examination that had involved every village come together had happened four years ago, and the annual tournament had been cancelled due to the events of the Second Shinobi War. Even so, in these times of relative peace, violence was going to be the order of the day, resulting in a large number of casualties and unforeseen 'accidents'. Danzo was sure that the scatterbrained louts in front of him paid no heed to the dangers of placing their mere fledglings into such a torrential, chaotic deathmatch.

Even in his time as an instructor, he'd never hesitated to push his three names forward, notwithstanding the fact that every _Genin _he'd ever trained had died or had somehow faked his death to join the Root instead. He'd always ensured that only people capable of pulling off such deceit were assigned under him in the first place; that way, his turnover of students into Root assassins who could and would do anything he wanted was pretty high.

The only one among the _Jonin _who seemed a little concerned for his subordinates was Namikaze Minato. It looked like the blonde was giving it a lot of thought. But then again, he had to. Choosing your best three out of four was always a problem, especially when all of them were doing very well for themselves, each not ceding even a little ground to the other. Danzo didn't see as to how skill even played a part in this; of course the outsider had to stay one, so he couldn't be entered as a participant. However, Hiruzen didn't share his mindset, choosing instead to oppose him every chance he got.

Merely a month and a half after the child had appeared on the scene, he was going to get a chance to go toe-to-toe with some of the best in his generation? The whole notion was utterly retarded, but what could be done? As looking at Hiruzen's irritating face reminded him, he wasn't the Hokage, and what he said held less weight as compared to the benevolent, if slightly too pacifistic Sarutobi. He'd managed to somehow return to prominence in the Council, regaining his poise little by little, holding fast and convincing the elders that Goku was actually an asset to the village, but he could be more useful once he was able to undergo the training and apprenticeship that Tsunade had planned for him once he became _Chuunin._

He was basically paving the way for the child to rise among the ranks, spoonfeeding him every step of the way, making him invaluable in the eyes of the elders and the feudal lord. Danzo very firmly believed that the thirteen-year-old whelp had done absolutely nothing to deserve such an expedited career. But again, Hiruzen had used his position to his advantage, arguing that he was made Hokage for a purpose, and that was for the good of Konoha. When he drew _that _particular sword, Danzo was helpless against it.

The leader of Team 4 stepped up. "I propose that my team, consisting of Sarutobi Asuma, Kurenai Yuuhi and Namiashi Raido for the Examination. I believe that they have the experience necessary to become _Chuunin, _what with them having been _Genin _very efficiently for the last month now." The Hokage nodded, not raising any questions at all. It was obvious that this team would be entered. It was high time they became _Chuunin._

The sudden declaration from the first _Jonin _sort of broke a dam, and proposals came rushing forth. Akimichi Choza, another _Jonin _whose team was a clear favorite, put forth his names too. Maito Guy, Shiranui Genma and Ebisu were going to enter the examinations after four years, the longest any _sensei _had ever waited to put in names for his team. Danzo wrinkled his nose in disgust. The very mention of that only-_taijutsu _moron was enough to ruin his mood for the entire day, forget letting him even enter the selection test.

Minato clearly was the most dilemmatic of the leaders. He'd only recently become a _Jonin-sensei, _so putting up his very first team up for the examinations in their rookie year was quite the leap of faith. Sure, the new generation of _Jonin _were a tad more reckless than their predecessors, but a risk such as this one was unwarranted. If that hadn't been enough to go on, he had the added problem of singling out the one who wouldn't be entering this time. It was extremely uncomfortable for only one of them to set their ambitions aside and let the others go forth. Plus, the one left behind would have to form a new team with his or her juniors, and that was never going to be acceptable at all.

Also, if he'd been asked to put his team forth before their C-Rank mission, he would have sent in Goku, Kakashi and Rin in without any hesitation. Now, with Obito's sudden rise to prominence with his newfound _Sharingan, _and Goku's weird dreams and mental instability, his choice had become even harder to make. Kakashi was a prodigy who deserved nothing other than becoming a _Chuunin _as fast as he possibly could. So he had to put in a team, but choosing two out of the other three was going to be a hassle.

"Minato?" Sarutobi spoke up, concerned that the blonde hadn't proposed a team yet. "Haven't you decided who will be the one sitting out?" Minato hesitated a second, before opening his mouth to speak. "I-I-I have..." he said reluctantly. _So he's chosen to eliminate the outsider. _Danzo felt a grudging respect for the eighteen-year-old. Despite his varied shortcomings, Minato had shown some decent resolve in this choice. But then again, that was to be expected from somebody of his rank. On the contrary, it would have been a huge disappointment had he decided to ask for special treatment, or chosen to not enter this year at all.

The child took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I propose Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito as one team, and Nohara Rin with Son Goku as another."

The entire room went dead silent. Shimura Danzo was stunned as well. _Just what exactly are you thinking, you rotten child? _There was a reason that rule existed. And it's very macabre nature had made sure that it was used in only the most extreme of conditions. The blonde was invoking that rule for a cause as trivial as this one? It was unthinkably reckless. It was a rule that had been written for teams where one of their members had passed away. Thinking that no one would invoke it, ever, its wording had been left vague and abstract, open to interpretation. Minato was taking advantage of this fact to bend the rules in his favour, submitting two teams of two.

_He must be extremely confident in his subordinates to propose this in a time such as this. Even in completely peaceful times, pitting two against three was sheer madness. This crosses the line entirely. Hiruzen, you cannot allow this. _Danzo rose, ready to reprimand the upstart child.

"I shall allow it." There was a touch of steel to Hiruzen's voice that made Danzo stand down without speaking a word. "That shall be all. Your presence here for this meeting is appreciated. Dismissed," he waved them off. The conviction in Hiruzen's voice had made it impossible to not suspect the Hokage for having ulterior motives in this. Danzo stayed back, and as the last _Jonin _closed the door behind him, he exploded.

"What is the meaning of this, Hiruzen?" he demanded? "Are you trying to give your favorite team a chance to collaborate and spoon-feed their way to the top? This will mean that they will never learn what it means to become truly strong in this world, never learn what it takes to survive," he exclaimed, face contorted with anger.

Hiruzen said nothing. He merely picked up a letter from his desk, handing it to the infuriated Danzo. As his eyes scanned the words on the paper, his eyes widened with renewed shock. It was a withdrawal letter from _Goku, _resigning his participation in the _Chuunin _selection Examination. It was worded in a formal way, stating 'unpreparedness' as a reason to not take part in an examination as challenging as it was.

Danzo, instead of being satisfied by this recent development, chose to display a completely different side of his character, one that only came out very rarely.

_"HUH?"_

Hiruzen flashed one of his rare smiles as well. It was not very often that one saw Shimura Danzo flabbergasted, gawking like an idiot.

_Just what is happening?_

* * *

The lights of Ichiraku's ramen restaurant beamed brightly. The establishment had been a major success, mainly because of the initial capital Goku had helped create. Uchiha Mikoto stood underneath the awning, dressed in a flowery kimono. It was raining outside, and she'd only just managed to take shelter before her clothes got wet. She cast a quick glance at her wristwatch. There were still five minutes to go. Goku had promised to be on time this time.

And there he was, walking on the muddy street without an umbrella, smiling up at the cloudy heavens with unrestrained relief. He had changed into a clean _gi, _but it was pretty wet by then. His hair hung down, losing their spiky appearance because of the rain. Mikoto's heart descended a little from her mouth as she looked at his carefree expression. His sudden meeting with the Hokage had gone well, apparently.

Stepping underneath, he smiled in lieu of a greeting. She couldn't help but return the same emotion. Today, there was no reason to be depressed, or sad in any way. Today, he didn't need to return home early in order to sleep for the next day's training. Today, she could stay with him for as long as she wanted.

"So, how did it go?" she asked as they entered. Ichiraku waved excitedly at them, motioning towards the seat nearest to his wok. Sitting on the tall stool, Goku turned to her and nodded confidently.

"It went rather well, I must say," Goku replied. "He asked a few questions, and I answered them. His Excellency seemed very satisfied by my story, judging by his expression after I was done."

"Don't get your hopes up, Son-_kun," _she cajoled him gently. "Sarutobi-_sama _does have a very sadistic sense of humor."

"Really?" Goku smirked. The ramen had arrived, and he was attacking his bowl with reckless abandon, spilling _miso _soup all over the counter. "He said that I could do whatever I wanted for the next three days, before starting my training under the healing lady in parallel with my missions." he said, punctuating his words with gulping noises.

"Tsunade-_sama, _Goku," Mikoto let out a chuckle at Goku's lack of respect for his to-be _sensei. _Goku didn't give a damn. He was too busy ordering another five bowls, which Ichiraku matched with a resounding 'Okay!' from behind the counter.

"Have you always been this relaxed, Goku?" she asked in an undertone, almost a whisper.

"I have occasionally taken time off, you know," he replied. "However, I've never taken a long, three-day break such as this one. Even the ten days I spent with my family before we fought Cell, we stayed transformed, learning how to make it easy to maintain that state without significant effort."

"Transformed?" he hadn't told her he could do that. _Maybe he turns into that ripped adult form he showed us when he was performing the clone jutsu..._

"Oh, it's nothing," Goku hastily added. "We used to use our _Ki _to turn our hair golden, and our eyes blue-green. We used to feel stronger that way." Mikoto laughed softly, trying to fathom how Goku would look as a blonde. The resulting image came out as a mixture of Minato and Goku that made her laugh so hard that she fell off her chair. Goku was off his too in an instant, his hand grasping her shoulder with a firm yet gentle grip.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She brushed his hand away, returning to her chair. It was exactly this deep concern he had for others that made him so easy to hang out with. "I'm fine, really. Go on. Blonde, you say?"

Listening to him protest against being called 'blonde', she couldn't help but feel elated too. Her own missions were completed, and their team had been assigned a rest period of five days before their next series of missions. She could spend as much time with him as she wanted. He would probably end up going to the training grounds, to watch his team practice hard. Their _Chuunin _Examination had been preponed, so it would be taking place three months from then, instead of a year like it had been earlier. Even Mikoto knew that making Kakashi's life a living hell was a fun thing to do, especially for the Saiyan.

_This is going to be extremely fun._

_Don't you think so, Son-kun?_

* * *

**HAH!**

**Against all odds, I have finished this chapter in under a month.**

**I really want to keep up this pace, but I will be working on ARTH for the next few days, so no guarantees that I'll do it.**

**That fic really needs a fresh kick to get it rolling again. Needs it badly.**

**Anyways, do tell me about any thoughts you might have.**

**Cheers.**


	16. Selection

**Dystopia Unleashed**

**By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor**

* * *

**So far, I've made the story progress at quite the leisurely pace.  
**

**I think it's now justified to insert a time skip here. Probably a few months till the _Chuunin _Selection exam.**

**I'll have flashbacks, but they'll be few and far between.**

**Just like my chapters, eh?**

**Read.**

**DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR DRAGON BALL Z.**

* * *

**_Chapter 15: Selection_**

* * *

_Whoosh._

Uzumaki Kushina's sweat flowed in rivulets down her face; massive drops detached themselves from her skin as she twisted, turned and dodged to hold off Kakashi and Rin's combined attack. _Kunai _whistling in their hands as they wielded them, the duo was't allowing her to do much more than defend herself. Completely pressured, and on the back foot, chances seemed rather bleak for the seventeen-year-old in this round. But then again, chances were called that for a reason. Bleak or otherwise, Kushina was known to beat the odds. Ans beat them she did, emphatically.

Within an instant, the status quo of the match changed. Kakashi made a small error in his footwork while approaching the redhead for a quick stab. Landing on a small rough patch in the grass, his foot stumbled just a little bit. Kushina was waiting for just that. As his blade still came in from the front, she casually tapped his knee with her free hand, using the other to grab Rin's simultaneous attack from the opposite side. As Kakashi was trying to regain balance, destabilized as he was from the sudden shift of his fulcrum, the red devil made short work of Rin, who definitely wasn't capable to take on the _Chuunin _alone.

Disarming her with a sudden paper explosive thrown into her hand, Kushina grappled her torso, using her own momentum to push her away, right into Kakashi's path. The two collided with comic effect, and collapsed onto the freshly-mowed lawn, too tired and disoriented to continue.

_Hmph. Useless. _Kushina almost spat in disgust. These two fledglings weren't even close to being _Chuunin; _in her opinion, they still shouldn't have been allowed to get out of the Academy. Despite their meteoric rise in fame for breaking the record for most missions done in a month, set by the _Sannin _themselves, the four-man team still wasn't used to applying teamwork to collectively defeat their stronger instructors when they were being _really _serious.

All of that notwithstanding, Kushina was also out of breath. Winning this spar had not been easy. Kakashi was skillful and had the instincts of a predator; Rin's technical knowledge was beyond compare. Still, they were pathetic, unable to scale the one mountainous task that most teams had already done so far. Outside the training fields, they seemed bonded enough; they couldn't be more friendly without having naked pillow fights together. But in _shinobi _training, they remained frustratingly self-centered, unable to grasp even the basic nuances of working together.

Sure, they had their moments, like the time Goku and Rin had beaten the _Chuunin _during their mission with the cool-looking throw _Rasen-_whatever combo, but then again, her only point of reference for that tale was Minato. And her boyfriend was pathologically incapable of being critical about anything. He was just too nice to point out stuff that they needed to really improve on. This was where the redhead felt that she came in. Being the unimpressed bitch. Being dismissive and disappointed in everything they presented, just to make sure that they improved.

So far, their own talents were great, granted. But their combinations lacked all charm and creativity. Someone needed to step up and sacrifice his/her individual glory for the team, but so far, no one had realized that.

As for _talents... _Oh, but the four had gotten so damn _strong. _Obito's _Sharingan's _ability allowed him to recreate any move he saw once, as long as it was within his _chakra _molding capabilities. Kakashi wielded his sword with an expert's finesse and precision, and Rin's defensive moves were insanely effective in stopping whatever their two teachers chose to throw at them. And Goku...

That kid had begun to create his own niche of flabbergasting skill and power that Kakashi and Obito, for all their training, were beginning to fall behind. It was like he found a new way to improve every day; his _chakra _control had gotten very fluid and precise, not to mention his swordsmanship. His eating habits and continuous diligence on his workouts were beginning to noticeably change how he looked. Around Rin's fourteenth birthday, just a week before their selection tests, he had bested Kushina in an arm-wrestling bout without even breaking a sweat, completely ignoring the three year age difference between the two.

Oh, the redhead had lived in constant denial of that event for the next couple of days, but soon enough, she'd realized that the kid, in his own damn way, was rather extraordinary. _It might actually be a good thing for him not to participate in the Chuunin exams, _she'd started to realize. _Such a prodigious potential went way beyond the concept of the shinobi rank system._

The one thing she found unsettling was the callousness with which he shrugged off his progress. Ever since that evening three months ago, when he'd decided to opt out of the competition, he'd lacked a certain ambition and craving for strength that he'd constantly displayed before. He chose, instead, to spend time on the sidelines, observing Kakashi, Rin and Obito train like mad, alongside Mikoto, who seemed like she came there every chance she got. Somehow, that was resulting in him getting better even _faster _than he was before.

Even during missions, he seemed more attentive, more observant than before, reaching targets and escorting people with efficiency and skill, earning grudging nods from even _Hokage-sama_. Kushina couldn't get why the lack of training had randomly spiked his growth curve by so much, as she watched her protege scale new heights with even more ease than before. It wasn't that his skill level ever rose slowly, but this was meteoric even for the Saiyan.

After the first couple of weeks, Kushina had figured it out. Goku observing the others, their _chakra _flow, their fighting techniques had told him exactly what he had been doing wrong. It was simple; _Genin_ Academy lesson #1. _Learn by observation, especially of your peers. _The Saiyan had always tried whatever anyone had shown him immediately, and although he managed to replicate it with flabbergasting aplomb, Kushina realized that it was merely superficial, like the difference between a normal clone and the _Kage Bunshin. _

Now, after reducing the load of his training regimen, he'd had more time to see, to reflect on the bad habits and mistakes he'd only ingrained further in himself by his narcissistic desire to get better on his own. The seventeen-year old _Chuunin _didn't know whether he'd realized this in an epiphany, or it'd simply happened as a side effect of him pulling his foot off the pedal. It just might have been because of the new medical _ninjutsu _training he'd started with Tsunade-_sama. _Whatever it was, it happened to be working, and it seemed to piss his teammates off like crazy.

"Next!" she called. Obito and Goku stood up, ready to take their crack at beating her. Kushina showed her usual face to the two, one of complacent disgust, but inside, she was concerned. She wasn't sure she could take these two together.

Wasn't sure at all.

* * *

The morning progressed to afternoon, and Tsunade opened her eyes wearily. Her window was positioned such that no sunlight directly fell on her eyes until it was late enough to skip lunch. Taking another five minutes to stretch one out, she lazily ambled over to the basin, and splashed some water on her face, trying to get the sleep out her brain. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed a tiny crease starting to form on the edges of her eyes. With a small effort and a little regenerative _chakra, _she made it disappear like wiping away a speck of dust.

_Soon I'm not going to be able to do that, _she mused, _skin can only stay young for so long._

The blonde walked with the grace of a duck, waddling over awkwardly to the kitchen. Yesterday's training had not been a walk in the park, as she'd estimated. Goku was the only one she could punch with all her strength. She'd given him the basic medical handbook, and until he finished that and got to a certain level of proficiency in the _chakra _control drills she'd assigned to him, he had to live life as her punching bag.

Also, Dan had come to watch them spar yesterday. The white-haired man had started visiting quite often of late, and Tsunade completely lost her shit when he decided to show up unannounced to their sparring in the garden. Her focus had wavered, and Goku had taken the rare opportunity beautifully, winding her with a heel kick right in the gut. It still hurt; she hadn't healed it out of sheer embarrassment.

He was going to come again in an hour, once he confirmed that there were no missions there for their special team to do. The _Hokage _wouldn't give them one now, what with the _Chuunin _selections a few days away. Although, Sarutobi-_sensei _did often have a very unusual sense of humor. No one knew what his next random fit of anger might end up doing for the poor _Genin._

She put the kettle on for a cup of tea. The change in seasons had been marked and abrupt, suddenly taking a turn for the worse in the last few days. It was sort of like a foretelling for things to come, perhaps. She put on a down comforter, waiting for the water to boil.

Things had been rather...different since the little teenager had come to learn the art of healing from her. Every day seemed to have a sense of purpose; the blonde rarely found herself bored anymore. He brought his characteristic energy into everything he did, bringing a childlike demeanor and an optimism that was hard to ignore. She'd found herself smiling at the darkest of times, moments when she'd remember Nawaki, and what had happened to him during the First Shinobi War. His presence was a reminder of what she'd lost, and a promise of better things to come in the future.

As for Dan, oh was she _smitten. _She was not a believer in the usual feminine crap she'd seen the other _kunoichi _do, all the fawning and the gossiping and whatnot, but this man really got her freak juice flowing. It was really an effort to not rip off his demure _kimono _robes and take him right there...

_Oh, heat check. Heat check. _Turning crimson, she suddenly threw away the bedding wrapped around her, stepping lightly into the kitchen. The water was boiling nicely, and it seemed like it was going to rain. _Perfect. _

As she approached the kettle, there was a knock on the door. "It's open," she called out without looking back. Goku must have arrived, she assumed. Taking a few leaves in her hands, she crushed them, infusing them with a little _chakra. _They would help with the pain. She had bore enough for that one oversight.

"Could you make me some too, _sensei?_" His voice had begun to crack. The last syllable of his sentence had come out as a strangled squeak. She answered with a noncommittal _hmm,_ adding more leaves and a little more water to the kettle. She heard the dining room chair being dragged back, as her protege made himself comfortable. This was starting to become a routine now; as the weather had gotten colder, he'd begun asking her for tea more frequently, as compared to his usual dose of cold milk. The kid was growing up.

Pouring the hot beverage into her green ceramic cups, she turned around to see a neat little ball of _chakra _balanced on top of his hands. He was learning how to better take care of his energy, to not simply dissipate it the way _ninjutsu _attacks usually worked. No, the trick was keeping it all in, to not allow even a single little speck to escape his attention. _For that one speck can randomly shoot through the body, killing the patient instantly. _

She tutted in disappointment. The Saiyan was failing miserably. Little streaks of _chakra _particles were slipping through his trembling fingers, through the shambles of a mental sphere that he had designed. Another problem with his technique that she'd noticed right away was that he was extremely wasteful with his _chakra. _Having been blessed with a massive amount of it, he never really felt the need to conserve it whenever he tried to replicate the complex _jutsus _Minato was introducing him to. The abundance of energy that flowed through his body was inculcating some extremely bad habits that she was correcting, bit by freaking bit.

Progress had been slow. It was difficult enough how to teach someone _chakra _usage, but to un-learn his wrong method and re-learn the right one had been one hellish nightmare. It was only after a month and a half of curses, failure and loss of temper was he able to forget how he manipulated _chakra _intuitively, and begin to do it the right way. The only upside to this ridiculous training was that his control over his state of calm, and his ability to get his nature and shape transformations right quickly was improving far faster than any of his teammates. One could say, in a way, that doing it wrong in the first place was a blessing in disguise.

One _could, _of course say that, but to Tsunade, it was merely an exercise in futility, but a requirement so severe could not just be kept aside. There was no way she let him try to fiddle around with an actual body until he was able to exert pinpoint precision and more over his _chakra. _Truth be told, she wasn't going to teach him a shred of medical _ninjutsu _even then. He still had to show her the affinity towards weaving the intricate flows she needed to perform her near-miraculous healing. Only one in a thousand had that ability, and she wasn't going to waste her time teaching someone who didn't, no matter how talented he was.

Placing the cups on the kitchen table, she walked over, placing her hands over the _chakra _ball that the Saiyan was trying so hard to stabilize. Within a split second, the errant streams of _chakra _emanating from the sphere vanished, and the resulting object looked serene and perfect. She pushed out some of her own _chakra, _and winked out the ball.

"The tea's ready," she motioned towards the table. Goku nodded, stepping up and pulling out two chairs, one for him and the other for Tsunade. They sat and sipped the piping hot drink in silence, grateful for the warmth in their hands. By her calculations, Goku, paired with someone else from his team, should have beaten Kushina by now. The fact that he said nothing about it just showed how much he'd matured in the last three months. Despite the wartime tension, the people of Konoha still went about their lives, enjoying every moment.

Tsunade glanced at the window. The drizzle had strengthened, and large drops fell onto the glass pane with a constant sound.

_These times of peace shall not last forever._

_Might as well savor them._

* * *

"YAAAH!"

Hatake Kakashi punched the bathroom wall with on a sudden impulse. Next to him, the shower still ran, letting out all the hot water onto the white tiles of the floor. Usually very quick with his morning ablutions, the gray-haired prodigy was being extremely tardy today. Today, of all days, when it was paramount that he reach the examination hall withing the next fifteen minutes or be disqualified from entering the _Chuunin _tests.

It was not unusual to have cold feet right before such an important event, but for the cocksure, condescending thirteen-year-old, it was a complete surprise. Taking a step back, he felt the scalding water fall onto his head, clearing his hesitant mind. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. Stepping out, he wiped himself hurriedly with a towel, dressing sloppily as was his wont.

The most direct path to the hall was directly through his window. As soon as his last pouch of tools was buttoned on, his last _kunai _tucked into yet another hidden location, he sprinted and jumped out the open frame, hitting the ground in a flat-out sprint. Traversing the village always calmed him down, no matter how many times Goku beat him at it. It was something that the Saiyan couldn't take away from him.

Taking a sudden jab step to the right, he placed his foot onto a ramp, elevating off of it towards the left, right on top of the awning of the grocery store. Ignoring the proprietor's angry rant, he jumped again, this time to reach the edge of the parapet of the next building. Climbing over, he slid his legs over first, and pushed hard off his hands to land onto the parapet leaning forward. Reaching max velocity was trivial after that.

Kakashi had noticed a continual increase in his physical conditioning since Goku had accelerated his progress. The competition was contagious, and he soon felt himself look forward to each new day with a crazed enthusiasm, ready to tackle the next spar, the next push-up, the next sword drill head on. Even as he looked at his watch, counting twelve minutes to zero, he kept running, clearing his mind of all stray thoughts. This was what he'd planned; an endorphin-fueled theoretical examination where he would come out as the clear winner.

_Now, if only that bumbling Uchiha would pull his own weight, we'd get through._

The rules had been made clear to them yesterday. If any one of the three team members failed, the entire team failed. Kakashi was fairly confident that Rin would pull through, but Obito, even with his newfound _Sharingan _and his recent win over Kushina, was an unreliable fucktard. If they had to cheat to get through, Kakashi was willing to put his every instinct aside and pass the imbecile a note with the answers. Discreetly, of course. Cheating without getting caught wasn't cheating.

_Ah, the credo of the eternal loser._

Launching off of the last rooftop, he skid to a halt before the gates of the examination center. Right before the face of a waiting _Iwagakure __Genin. _The pudgy-faced fatass seemed a little lost, and his bland expression reminded him of a potato salad.

"Get out the way."

Kakashi wasn't in a very helpful mood. Pushing the fatty aside, he entered, only to be drawn back by a strong hand grabbing the scruff of his neck. Turning, he faced the dude, apathy written all over his expression. He seemed to be foaming at the mouth, and had prepared a long, self-righteous monologue aimed at the gray-haired teen.

_Temper temper._

Before he could open his mouth, Kakashi drew out his sword, holding it across the multitude of chins that surrounded his face. The angry guy switched to sweaty and scared in a second. Holding the _katana _in place for a second longer, Kakashi stepped back, turned, sheathed it and sprinted towards the hall in one fluid motion, leaving the fat fuck confused.

He checked his watch. _Six minutes to zero._

Entering his designated room, he was met with a nice, heavy silence. Some extremely ominous-looking dude was giving him the stink-eye. Without even batting an eyelid, he located his teammates, and took the vacant seat next to them. The examiner checked his watch. T minus four. The last open seat in the room next to two _Iwa __Genins _told Kakashi that ol' fatso was the one who was left. Making eye contact with the scary individual in the front of the room, he pointed outside with his thumb.

The guy nodded. Another _Jonin _stepped out, and in a couple of minutes, was back with the bumbling fool. Somehow, Kakashi wasn't impressed with the turnout. Looking at every strange face and judging them, he calculated that the toughest challenge would come from that pretentious Asuma's team. Looking to his left, he nodded at Rin, ignoring the Uchiha. Obito flared up, but before he could say anything, a bell rang.

The chief examiner took out the papers, butting them on the hard wooden table with a resonating _THUNK. _Looking over at the nervous _Chuunin _probables, he said only three words.

"Best of luck."

Even after his run calming him down, Kakashi felt butterflies in his stomach. He pressed down on it, dispelling them. He was a genius. Nothing could take him out of the competition at this stage. He would ace this and move on. Nothing would stop him...

_Now._

Looking at the convoluted, twisted diagrams on the paper and the horrendous math attached, even the Hatake gulped audibly. Over to his left, he heard Rin gasp similarly, and saw Obito cradle his head in his arms. There was a sudden sound as the fat fuck fainted at the sight of the paper, ending things for that particular _Iwagakure _team right there and then.

_Heaven help us._

* * *

As his teammates took what was probably the toughest exam in their life so far, Goku sat outside Ichiraku's, waiting for Mikoto to arrive. The establishment was strangely closed today, otherwise the Saiyan would have been demolishing a few dozen bowls of _ramen _by now. Ichiraku had decided to take a personal day, considering his rather hectic lifestyle in the last few months. His black blade was in his hands, and he examined its structure in detail using the _chakra _probes he'd learnt in secret from the medical books Tsunade kept lying around.

Closing his eyes, he recreated a mental picture out of the response times of the _chakra _that he sent out, a sort of sonar-slash-X-Ray imaging technique that allowed him to observe the intricacies of the object's structure. Originally intended for living tissue, the _jutsu _worked beautifully on inanimate stuff as well. He came across the hollow reservoir for the _chakra _and the exit and entry hole almost immediately, but on serious inspection over the last few weeks, he'd grown to truly appreciate the craftsmanship that had gone into forging the weapon.

Connected to the main reservoir were conduits that allowed the _chakra _to seep into the main body of the blade, much like the circulatory system in the body. And, by successively compressing the substance through the veins, it made sure a massive amount could be stored at once, increasing the weight of the blade. _Chakra _had pressure, so it was imperative that it have mass. Goku had felt like a complete imbecile when Kushina had told him that; now he felt glad he'd paid the modicum of attention necessary to remember the fact.

_Oh, Master Roshi, if only you could see your stupid disciple now, you'd be devastated..._

A quick tap on his shoulder made him exit his reverie and look up. Mikoto had arrived. Goku waited for the customary flood of hormones and endorphins, savoring them as they rushed through his mind, coloring his cheeks. She looked rather beautiful today, what with her hair let loose and all. It framed her face perfectly, complimenting her delicate features with a slightly rugged look. He had stopped counting the number of times he'd noticed the small changes to her hair that she made every time she came to meet him. Every time she'd made the change subtler, and he'd still managed to point it out on the first try.

Even now, she looked at him, waiting for him to notice.

"You've curled the ends a little bit," he said. It had somehow been too easy today. Her face lit up, and she flashed him a wide smile. That told the Saiyan everything he needed to know about what was happening between the two of them. His body might be that of a thirteen-year old, but he'd experienced this exact feeling when he'd made eye contact with Chi-Chi. Guilt at betraying his wife did sting him a lot, but as Shenron's parting words had been to forget his past entirely, he'd now begun to believe with a certain sincerity that there was no going back.

He waited for the moment to pass, and got up, sheathing his sword. Mikoto straightened, her hands behind her back, excitement clear on her face.

"Where to today?" she asked him, with her lilting soprano. Goku was finding it hard to keep a straight face. He too started grinning like a little child. Choosing a direction at random, he started walking, the Uchiha at his side. She resisted the impulse to hold his hand. They had barely walked a hundred meters when Mikoto had a sudden idea.

"Do you want to come over?"

Goku didn't understand what she meant. When he merely stood there, confused, she decided to elaborate.

"The enclosure, stupid!" she had on a playful face, made even more so by the smile on it. "I'll show you around inside, if you want. Give you a glimpse of where we live." Goku nodded in agreement, excitement spilling over onto his face as well.

"Let's race, then?" she asked, knowing full well that he loved doing exactly that. The Saiyan shook his head.

"I really want to walk today."

Mikoto was surprised. Pleasantly so. As they turned onto the main boulevard, walking together, enjoying the sounds of a lazy village afternoon, the Uchiha couldn't help but admire the transformation that Goku had undergone in the last three months. Before he'd started his training with Tsunade, he still had the gravity of his past lingering in his eyes, but he had displayed a kind of willful childishness that was both endearing and annoying at the same time. Now, after his sudden epiphany, as he liked to call it, the Saiyan had received a new perspective on maturity, and had gotten much more endearing than before.

He walked beside her, seeming content to let the silence surround them. For his friends, today was probably the worst day of their lives, as they struggled through the paper she herself had passed eleven months ago. It had not been as hard for her; she was the recommended age for the level of the examination, after all. _Genin _were supposed to wait at least a couple of years before making the jump, around the age of fifteen or even sixteen was best. However, that rule had soon become a recommendation that nobody followed any more, except with teams that contained the Uchiha.

Disguised superficially under the pretext to let their _Sharingan _develop further, those specific teams had been held back. Not that Mikoto cared; she wasn't interested in the fast track to the responsibility. Hence, she'd waited patiently, even as her teammates ground their teeth in anger and frustration, sometimes even spilling it over on her. Mikoto had realized just how petty people could get, especially when they were being left behind in the rat race.

Again, the kid walking next to her had proven himself to be different in that aspect as well. Despite having the talent and skill to ace the exams without even breaking a sweat, Goku had chosen to stop his meteoric rise, giving time instead to learn the more detailed aspects of _ninjutsu. _Mikoto had often helped him with his lessons, trying to get him to match even the most leisurely of paces set by his new _sensei, _the vivacious Tsunade. She'd taught _Int. Med. Ninjutsu _for a week every month as a guest instructor, and Mikoto remembered her temper very well.

The flaw she'd noticed almost immediately in Goku's _chakra _handling was the weapon-like characteristic he instinctively gave it. _So many damn errors, _he'd said in frustration that day, perhaps feeling that emotion for the first time in his long, long time of existence. She'd relented, cutting him some slack. Tsunade was merciless in rebuking any mistakes any of her subordinates made. No wonder she was regarded with fear as the toughest instructor to pass _Int. Med. _under. Even Mikoto, being an Uchiha, had barely passed by using her _Sharingan _to refine her control.

They rounded the corner, facing the lonely walls of the Uchiha stronghold in the distance. Mikoto drew a deep breath, calming herself. _It will be fine, _she convinced herself, _no one will say anything. Goku is nothing if not a friend to the Uchiha._

Reaching the gate, she swung it open with her right hand. It opened without a single squeak. Being the Konoha Police Force meant that they got maintenance and repairs done stat. They had that privilege, at least.

Stepping in, she heard Goku stifle a gasp.

_Here goes nothing._

* * *

The afternoon breeze blew across the deserted streets around the enclosure. Rustling the foliage around, it somehow seemed to miss one particular bush, which stayed still as death. Among the others, it seemed like it was moving merely because the others near it were. The illusion of motion. Pretty nifty.

The Root assassin Danzou had sent kept silent and immobile, having been instructed to observe only. His orders were crystal clear - bring evidence of some sort of connection between the kid and the traitors. And that evidence wasn't going to present itself, tied with a nice satin bow. He had to somehow get in and keep tabs on Goku's whereabouts, and take some sort of photograph of him interacting with the Uchiha top brass.

He sat there, thinking furiously. Lighting a cigarette, he took a massive drag, enjoying the nicotine's effects. He had often wondered why this specific surveillance mission had been assigned to him. He was neither the smartest nor the most skilled in the Root. Danzou himself had nearly beheaded him for bungling his last mission, which too had been related to the boy. He and his team had not been able to finish him off, right at this very spot. He'd been very confused at the mercy Danzou had shown then. But now, he realized the reason for that uncharacteristic reaction.

His master obviously believed in him, confident that he would be able to to his duties well this time. He felt a sudden feeling of gratefulness for the chance to prove his naysayers wrong. He scanned the area once more, until he was sure that there was no safer alternative to entering from the front, all gung-ho. Stepping out from his hiding spot, he made his way stealthily to the door. Surely the Uchiha were not so paranoid as to place protection on the entrance to their enclosure. That would be too great a display of mistrust. The conflict hadn't reached there yet.

He gingerly held out a finger, testing the door. Nothing. With a barely suppressed sigh, he reached out to open the door.

_THUNK._

The _kunai _that hit him was travelling so fast that it seemed like it was shot out of a cannon. It barreled through his floating ribs like it was so much wet paper, lodging in his heart muscle. He was dead before the high-velocity blade had time to push him a full two meters to his right, arms flopping lifelessly. He landed in a convenient heap to the right of the entrance, a nice trail of spurted blood from the gate to where he lay.

Orochimaru lowered his custom-made _kunai _launcher, a gleeful smile on his snake-like face. It was not every day that you got to test out new weaponry on live targets. The _Sannin _had been waiting to use it on someone for the last six months. Somehow, the opportunity had never presented itself until today. He'd enjoyed using it on cardboard cutouts and on the muscle tissue he'd cultivated, but this was a wholly different story altogether. He couldn't replicate the facial expressions that accompanied such a violent death in his lab.

Thus said, Danzou's plan was rather ingenious. Despite its repetitive nature and location, the addition of an actual murder the kid escaped unscathed from would show the elders that the threat presented to the village by both him and the Uchiha was rising steadily. Also, the _kunai _launcher was something unheard of, so it would be assumed that the assailant was hit by a normal _shinobi _with some sort of crazed, angry strength. Danzou had planned this down to the minute. After half an hour, the ANBU's rounds would bring them here. Given the speed with which the Uchiha and her companion would traverse the compound and leave, they would be exiting right around the time when the secret service could see them with the body.

The witness was in place, and so was the evidence and the motive. This was the same dude who had attacked the teen a couple of months ago. This gave a nice cyclical revenge plot. Orochimaru had grown the cells he'd sourced from the kid into a full hand, with fingers, and of course, fingerprints. The blade's handle was loaded with them. Now, no matter what he said, his story couldn't hold up at a tribunal. He was doomed.

There was only one possible pitfall. That the Uchiha girl somehow contrived to keep him inside for longer than the time window Danzou had scoped out. Given the Uchiha's propensity to be unpredictable, it was quite the risk. But even if the kid wasn't caught on the scene, there was enough to spark an investigation, souring the relations between the clan of the _Sharingan _and the village even further. It was a win-win.

The snake-like man slotted the wide-bore rifle back into its sleeve on his back, choosing to exit the scene quickly. There was only one thing that was missing from the entire scenario. And that was Orochimaru's incentive in all this. Sure, the weapon test helped, but it was only one shot, in relatively still conditions. The _hebi _resolved to make sure that Danzou would owe him for this. Big time.

Ignoring the crimson fluid pooling underneath the deceased assassin, he returned to his hideout. The job had been done.

_Now to wait and watch for the fallout._

* * *

Sixty seconds remained.

Nohara Rin wiped the beads of sweat pooling on her eyebrow. She clenched and unclenched her fist, trying to stop her hand from cramping painfully. The test had been a complete and utter nightmare, and that was just from the atmosphere. The questions themselves were enough to fry someone's mind, but the tension and the innovative cheating going on added to the pressure and the headache. The Sand _genin _were communicating through flecks of dust floating near their ears, which were vibrating like speakers to share whatever knowledge they had.

The Iwa _shinobi _had given up, considering that their teammate hadn't gotten up in the last three hours, even after several increasingly desperate attempts. The Mist ones were the only dudes in the room who looked anything but nauseous and tense, but even their smiles were shallow and infrequent. The examiner stood there at the front of the hall, surveying the floor. His instructions were clear. _If you are caught in the act of cheating, it will result in the immediate debarment of your entire team from the rest of the examination._

_If you are caught._ The loophole was extremely evident, even to Obito-_kun. _He was bent over his paper, scribbling furiously, some sort of spherical portal in front of his desk, hidden cleverly by Kakashi's back. Despite his rather retarded moments, the Uchiha was certainly intelligent, Rin had to admit.

As for Kakashi-_kun, _well...

Thirty seconds.

He suddenly got out of his chair, causing Obito to panic. His viewing sphere was barely hidden now, with one of the side examiners looking at the fuzzy patch to Kakashi's right with suspicion. Dispelling the _jutsu, _Obito stopped writing, clearly fuming. He gave Kakashi the dirtiest look he could manage, and got up as well. Somehow, the situation called for it, so Rin, on an impulse, got up as well. Picking up the paper in front of her, she followed her two idiotic teammates.

Time seemed to slow down, making the journey to the front of the room feel like it was taking an eternity. Rin glanced at the rest of the people she knew. Sarutobi Asuma seemed like he was chewing his pen, but he had a slim cigarette hidden in there, she was sure. His addiction still hadn't become public, what with the _Genin _being barely fourteen, but Rin was awed at his audacity. To bring in something like that to the exam hall was tantamount to suicide. If one got caught, that is.

Maito Guy was holding his head, staring at the paper, perhaps willing it to break out in song and dance about the joys of youth. Despite the tense situation, the Nohara couldn't help flashing a smile. The headstrong dude who thought himself to be Kakashi's eternal rival was also a character she enjoyed watching, albeit from a distance. A large distance. Preferably half the world, if that was possible. She didn't like that reflective straight hair at all, to say nothing about his stalker eyes.

Kurenai Yuuhi was doing nothing. The ruby-eyed, tempestuous teen was sleeping, her finished paper on the table. Rin felt a momentary stab pf jealousy, but the plain, brown eyed Nohara chose to ignore it and move on. Ebisu was also snoring, having studied his ass off in the last few days, when their team had gotten a lucky break right before the tests. His eyes hidden behind those ugly round shades, he made a very effective representation as to why Konoha _shinobi _were considered slackers and work-shirkers.

She waited for Kakashi to submit his paper. The gray-haired prodigy gave the surprised examiner a quick wink, confusing the poor _Jonin _further. Obito merely slapped his sheets onto the table and left in a huff. Rin approached, a dozen doubts circling in her mind. _Have I done everything I could? Maybe if I had a few more seconds to test out that one answer..._

The bell rang. Loudly.

As she placed her paper on top of Obito's with a sad face, she heard the scraping of chairs and desks behind her. These guys were extremely particular about time. Submit your paper a second late, and you lost your eligibility immediately. The same penalty applied to giving it in a hurry, or causing a commotion near the examiners' desks. Exiting the room quickly, she saw her two teammates waiting for her.

They showed none of the usual relief or disappointment students generally had after the test. Kakashi was quietly reading _Icha Icha Paradaisu _for the umpteenth time, and was ignoring Obito's indignant protests that Kakashi shouldn't have moved his ass until the exam was actually over. Despite herself, she let out a smile. There was no danger of ever failing when one had teammates like that. No pressure could crack their determination.

They both turned to her, and Obito smiled. There was no way to tell with Kakashi, but Rin knew somehow, that behind that mask, he must be grinning his lips off.

_I suppose it wasn't that bad after all..._

* * *

**ARTH had taken up most of my time the last two months, what with the major overhaul that it needed.**

**Two years is a long time to keep a story like that going.**

**Anyway, even DU's two-year anniversary is coming up, and I WILL try to put another chapter up in August.**

**God only knows why I can't maintain a good pace.**

**Perhaps it's still me reeling from GSW's loss in the Finals.**

**All Curry fans, please review. I need that right now.**

**Fuck, after winning 73 games, that too.**


End file.
